Michaelmas Island at the mouth of Frenchman Bay, Albany, Western Australia (Photo: Shutterstock)
A shark bit a diver off the coast of Western Australia to death on Saturday, police said. This is the country’s fourth fatal shark attack this year.
The man, in his 30s, was attacked by a 4.5m shark near Michaelmas Island, south-east of Perth, ambulance services and the Western Australian government said.
The attack was reported around 11:25.
According to the police, the man was spearfishing when the shark attacked him. He was brought back to shore where paramedics tried to treat him.
“Unfortunately, he could not be brought to his senses,” the police said.
The state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development urged people to exercise “extra caution” in the area and stay informed of shark sightings in the area.
The attack comes just two weeks after a man was killed by a shark in the northern state of Queensland.
This is also the second fatal shark attack this year in Western Australia. A man died last month after a great white shark attacked him near Rottnest Island, near Perth.
Australian scientists believe increasingly busy waters and rising sea temperatures are changing shark migration patterns, potentially contributing to an increase in attacks.