A tragic incident has occurred on Rottnest Island, located off Western Australia’s coast near Perth, where a man lost his life in a suspected shark attack.
The 38-year-old was reportedly swimming at Horseshoe Reef near Geordie Bay when, around 10 a.m. local time, he is believed to have been attacked by a shark.
Efforts by St John WA ambulance paramedics to revive him after he was quickly brought to shore were unsuccessful, according to a spokesperson for WA Police.
“WA Police will compile a report for the Coroner,” stated the spokesperson.
The man’s identity has not been disclosed at this time.
Surf Life Saving WA took to social media to report that a five-meter great white shark was sighted at approximately 10 a.m., just 80 meters from the shore.
Rottnest Island is a popular tourist destination off the coast of the city of Perth and can be reached by ferry.
The area is a protected nature reserve known for its quokka population, white sand beaches and secluded coves.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development had been notified of the incident.
Earlier today a spokesperson for DPIRD said the department was working with local authorities.
String of shark attacks across Australia
There have been several shark attacks reported in Australia this year.
The 12-year-old junior lifesaver later died in hospital. 
The attacks were attributed to previous wild weather considered a “once-in-a-500-year event”, which created the perfect environment for bull sharks to lurk in coastal waters around Sydney and wider NSW.
He told 9News he was surfing by himself in murky water off the tourist town of Middleton when the shark “grabbed” his foot and knocked him off his board.
He was about 100 metres offshore and frantically paddled back to land.
Back in March, a man was bitten by a shark while snorkelling around the Great Barrier Reef.
He and two other men were swimming from a private vessel on the western side of Lady Elliot Island in Queensland when the attack took place around 8am.
He was bitten on the elbow and helped to shore by the other two men.
Australia heads world table for shark attacks
The global total of 12 fatalities was up from the previous year’s seven.
There were 65 confirmed unprovoked attacks globally, a jump from the 47 in 2024 and above the five-year average of 61.
Last year US waters had the most incidents at 25, with 11 off the coast of Florida.
Australia was in second spot recording 21 unprovoked attacks.
Bigger numbers of the species at “aggregation sites”, beaches favoured by surfers, especially in Australia, may be behind this, they suggested.
The Australian coastline is also home to the bull and tiger sharks, which along with great whites make up the “big three” predators.
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