Diver dies after Western Australia attack by suspected 4.5m shark

By Yiying Li, Andrew Chounding and Keane Bourke, ABC News

A male diver has died, after he was bitten by a suspected 4.5-metre shark off the southern Western Australian coast.

The 35-year-old man was taken by boat to shore, after emergency services responded to reports of a shark attack at 11.25am, local time, on Saturday.

The man was spearfishing with family off Michaelmas Island, near Albany, when he was attacked, according to police.

“He was conveyed back to shore by boat where he was met by SJA [St John Ambulance] WA paramedics,” Western Australia police said. “Sadly, he was unable to be revived.

“WA Police will prepare a report for the coroner.”

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said it was assisting WA Police and local authorities with the serious shark incident.

Michaelmas Island is about 13km from the nearest stretch of Albany coastline and about a five-hour drive from Perth.

Second fatal shark attack in past four weeks

This is the second fatal shark attack in Western Australia in the past four weeks.

On 16 May, 38-year-old Perth man Steven Mattaboni was killed in a shark attack, when he was spearfishing with three friends off Rottnest Island.

Mattaboni was bitten on the legs by a four-metre shark just before 10am that day at Horseshoe Reef.

- ABC News