Man killed in Western Australia shark attack, police say incident involved reported great white bite near Rottnest Island, first fatal attack in state since last March

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Rottnest Island is popular for its white sand beaches and surf breaks bbc.com

A 38-year-old man was killed by a shark off Western Australia on Saturday morning, after being attacked at Horseshoe Reef north-west of Rottnest Island near Perth, according to BBC News. Police said the incident happened shortly before 10:00 local time, and aerial footage showed the man being rushed back to shore by boat. Paramedics and police performed CPR at the Geordie Bay jetty, but he could not be revived.

Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it received a report that the man had been bitten by a great white shark and urged the public to take extra caution in waters around the area. The death was the first fatal shark attack in the state since March last year, when a surfer was mauled off a remote beach, the BBC reports.

Australia has recorded almost 1,300 shark attacks since 1791, with more than 260 resulting in death, figures cited by the BBC show. The long time series is often invoked in the immediate aftermath of a fatal incident because it gives two things at once: a sense of rarity for any individual swimmer, and a reminder that the risk never goes to zero in waters where large predators are routinely present.

The latest death also feeds a recurring policy argument that tends to flare when an attack is both graphic and close to a major city: whether to expand or reinstate shark control measures such as nets. These systems are controversial because they can kill non-target marine life and because their protection is partial, not absolute. But the alternative—warnings, patrols, and personal caution—places the burden on individual judgement while tourism operators, local councils, and emergency services absorb the reputational and operational costs when something goes wrong.

The BBC notes that shark incidents can cluster in public attention even when they are geographically dispersed. Earlier this year, four shark attacks were reported along the New South Wales coast over two days, including an attack on 12-year-old Nico Antic after he jumped from a rock into Sydney Harbour; he died a week later, and his parents said they were heartbroken.

On Saturday in Western Australia, the decisive moments happened at a reef and then at a jetty, with CPR continuing on land. By the time the public was being urged to “take additional caution,” the rescue boat had already reached Geordie Bay.