Man Killed by Shark While Spearfishing on Great Barrier Reef

A 39-year-old man was killed by a shark while spearfishing with three friends at Kennedy Shoal on the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday, police said. The victim, a resident of Cairns, was diving from a boat south of Cairns when the attack occurred. He sustained a critical head injury and was pronounced dead after being brought ashore at Hull Heads around noon.

Elaine Burns said the man had been spearfishing when the shark struck. A friend who pulled the victim from the water witnessed the attack and was described as being close to the incident. The species of shark has not been confirmed. Local fishers reported seeing bull sharks in the area before the attack.

Sunday's attack is the second fatal shark incident in Australia in just over a week and the third this year. A week earlier, a 38-year-old man died after being attacked while spearfishing near Rottnest Island off Western Australia. Kennedy Shoal is a shallow coral reef popular with recreational fishers and divers visiting the nearby 19th-century shipwreck Lady Bowen.