Source : the age
A 35-year-old man has died after he was bitten by a shark while spearfishing off the coast of Albany on Saturday morning.
The incident happened at about 11.20am about 10 metres off the coast of Michaelmas Island in King George Sound. The island sits approximately 13 kilometres off the coast of Albany.
“Emergency services were advised of a possible shark attack off the Albany coast,” a WA Police spokesperson said.
The man was rushed to shore where he was met by St John Ambulance paramedics who said his injuries were critical.
WA Police later reported that he was unable to be revived.
The man was spearfishing with his family when the attack happened.
A member of the public reported the sighting of an unknown species of shark about 4.5 metres long at 11.25am off Michaelmas Island about 10 metres from the shore.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said they were assisting WA Police with a serious shark incident at Michaelmas Island.
“A male diver was reported to have been bitten by a suspected 4.5 m shark at approximately 11:25 am Saturday 6 June 2026,” they said.
“The incident was reported to DPIRD at approximately 11:30 am Saturday 6 June 2026.”
They advised people to “take additional caution in the Michaelmas Island area”.
“Adhere to beach closures advised by Local Government Rangers, Parks and Wildlife Service officers or Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA),” they said.
There have now been four fatal shark attacks in Australia so far this year.
Three weeks ago father-of-two Steven Mattaboni, 38, died after he was bitten on the legs by a four-metre great white shark off the coast of Rottnest Island in WA.
The following week, Cairns father Michael Jensz died after he was bitten by a shark near Hull Heads in Far North Queensland, and in January, 12-year-old Nico Antic died after he was attacked by a shark after jumping off rocks west of Shark Beach at Nielsen Park in Vaucluse, New South Wales.
