Friends see man being mauled by four-metre white shark | World | News
Friends watched in horror as a man was mauled by a four-metre white shark at a popular tourist spot in Western Australia. The 38-year-old man was spearfishing with a friend at Horseshoe Reef near Rottnest Island in Perth on Saturday morning.
Police said the man suffered serious bites on both legs, making it the second fatal shark attack in the country this year. The man’s friends desperately tried to resuscitate him by pulling him to shore. Emergency services attended the scene and the man was taken to a jetty in Geordie Bay. Here, paramedics treated him for about half an hour, but the man could not be saved.
Sgt Wear said: “The victim’s friends pulled his body from the water, performed CPR on him on the way back and came straight to the Geordie Bay pier.
“His friends actually witnessed this terrible incident. The victim was on the surface about 20 meters from the ship at the time.
“There were some pretty horrific scenes for absolutely everyone involved and all the emergency services that were there did a fantastic job.”
Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) said a four-metre shark was spotted 80 meters offshore at Horseshoe Reef at around 10am local time on Saturday morning.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is assisting police with a “serious shark bite” incident at Horseshoe Reef, the Western Australian government said on its website.
Police said in a statement that at around 9.55am on Saturday, May 16, 2026, emergency services were notified of a possible shark attack off the coast of Rottnest Island.
The spokesman added: “A 38-year-old man who was in the water at Horseshoe Reef was believed to have been bitten by a shark. “The man was taken to shore by a vessel where he was met by SJA WA paramedics.
“Unfortunately, the man could not be resuscitated.”
Shark patrols are being carried out and people are being told to avoid the area.
The Department of Basic Industry and Regional Development was informed about the incident. Rottnest Island is a popular tourist attraction thanks to its 63 white sand beaches, crystal turquoise waters and famous quokka.
