A 39-year-old man has died following a shark attack at Kennedy Shoal on the Great Barrier Reef, marking Australia’s second fatal shark attack in just over a week and the third fatal incident recorded in the country this year.
Emergency services were called to the Hull River Heads boat ramp near Tully in Far North Queensland shortly before midday on Sunday after reports that a diver had been attacked offshore. According to Queensland Police, the man was retrieved from the water by companions and transported back to shore aboard a private vessel, where paramedics were waiting. Despite emergency efforts, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
Multiple confirmed reports state the man had been spearfishing with friends at Kennedy Shoal, a shallow reef system roughly 45 to 50 kilometres offshore between Cairns and Townsville. Police Inspector Elaine Burns told Australian media the victim suffered catastrophic head injuries during the attack.
Authorities have not confirmed the shark species involved. However, local operators and regional reports note that bull sharks and tiger sharks are regularly sighted in the area, particularly around fishing activity and reef structures where bait fish are concentrated.
Kennedy Shoal is well known among recreational fishers, divers, and technical wreck enthusiasts. The area is also visited for dives on the historic Lady Bowen wreck, a 19th-century shipwreck that has become part of the local reef ecosystem.
Police confirmed all other members of the dive group returned safely to shore. Investigators are preparing a report for the coroner, with the death currently being treated as non-suspicious.
The tragedy follows another fatal shark attack in Western Australia just days earlier, when Perth spearfisher Steven Mattabonni was killed near Rottnest Island. Earlier this year, a 12-year-old boy also died following a suspected bull shark attack off Sydney. While fatal shark attacks remain statistically rare in Australia, the clustering of incidents in recent weeks has reignited debate around shark management, spearfishing safety, and diver risk awareness in offshore waters.
Marine experts have long noted that spearfishing can increase shark encounter risk because struggling fish, vibrations, and blood in the water may attract predatory species from considerable distances. Even so, attacks remain extremely uncommon relative to the number of dives and fishing trips conducted across Australia’s coastline each year.
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