A man has tragically lost his life following a shark encounter off the coast of Western Australia. The incident occurred on Saturday morning near Horseshoe Reef, an area situated north-west of the popular tourist destination, Rottnest Island, and not far from the city of Perth.

Emergency services were alerted shortly before 10:00 AM local time. Eyewitness accounts and subsequent aerial footage indicated that the man was brought back to shore by boat. Paramedics and police attempted to revive him with CPR at the Geordie Bay jetty, but sadly, their efforts were unsuccessful, and the man was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Authorities have confirmed that the attack involved a great white shark, estimated to be approximately 13 feet in length. The state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has issued a warning, urging the public to exercise extreme caution when entering the waters in the affected vicinity. This marks the first fatal shark attack in Western Australia since March of the previous year, when a surfer sustained fatal injuries in a separate incident off a remote beach.

Australia has a history of shark interactions, with records dating back to 1791 indicating nearly 1,300 reported attacks, over 260 of which have been fatal. The recent fatality underscores the ongoing concerns surrounding shark activity along the Australian coastline. Earlier this year, the state of New South Wales experienced a cluster of four shark attacks within a two-day period, including a tragic incident involving a 12-year-old boy in Sydney Harbour.