Shark Attack Kills Spearfisher Off Rottnest Island

A 38-year-old man was killed by a reported four-metre white shark while spearfishing at Horseshoe Reef, one kilometre off Rottnest Island. His friends pulled him onto their boat and performed CPR before racing to Geordie Bay, where police and paramedics were waiting but could not save him.

The victim was the secretary of the Bluewater Freedivers of WA and an experienced spearfisherman. His wife said he was a devoted father to their two young daughters and that their hearts were irrevocably broken. The Kingsley Football Club said his smile could light up a room.

This was the first fatal attack since March last year, when a surfer was killed at Wharton's Beach near Esperance. Officials noted that millions of people swim, surf, snorkel, dive, and spearfish in the region each year, and the overall risk remains low.

A 2014 study published in the Australasian Medical Journal calculated the risk of a shark bite while swimming off Perth in summer at one in 30 million. Officials said the approach to shark safety has shifted from catch-and-kill policies to tagging, tracking, notification apps, warning sirens, enclosures, and personal deterrents.

Guida, a shark scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said the ocean is a wild place with inherent risks. He noted that spearfishing sends signals such as blood and body movements that can attract sharks. "Spearfishing is an inherently risky sport.

And when you're spearing fish, you're sending off signals into the water, such as blood and body movements from the animals that can attract sharks," Dr Guida said. He added that Rottnest Island is close to feeding areas for white sharks in Cockburn Sound.

Officials said a healthy ocean requires sharks and that people should heed all safety advice when entering the water.