A man was killed in a suspected shark attack at Sorrento Beach in Perth’s northern suburbs on Friday, Western Australia Police confirmed in a statement released the same day.
Emergency services, including a police boat and helicopter, responded to the incident at approximately 10:15 a.m. local time after frantic calls reported a swimmer had been bitten. Authorities closed the beach to swimmers and launched an extensive aerial and water search, though no trace of the victim was found as of late Friday.
Western Australia Police stated the swimmer had died as a result of the attack, though no further details about the victim’s identity were released. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) confirmed it was investigating the incident, with wildlife officers examining the scene.
Witnesses described seeing a large pool of blood in the water near the shoreline. Jacqui Rapaic, a beach walker, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that her friend alerted her to the attack, saying, “Jac, I think there’s been a shark attack,” before she observed the blood in the water. Ryan Rowe, a local who arrived shortly after, told The West Australian newspaper that an onlooker had told him “someone had been bitten by a shark.” Rowe added, “I couldn’t believe there was that much blood that had come out of a human body.”
The suspected attack occurred approximately 15 meters from shore, near the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club. A surfer sustained a serious leg wound in a separate shark attack on Monday near Geraldton, approximately 400 kilometers north of Perth. Authorities did not confirm the shark species involved in Friday’s incident.
Shark Season and Safety Measures
The attack occurred just one week after Surf Life Saving WA’s helicopter shark patrols began for the summer season. Earlier in the week, a member of the public reported seeing a 2.5-meter-long shark off the beach. Sorrento Beach, located 20 kilometers north of Perth’s CBD, is a popular swimming and recreational spot.
Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks per year since 2000, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, a partnership between the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Flinders University, and the New South Wales state government. This year, there have been four confirmed fatal shark attacks in the country, including three spearfishing divers killed off the coast in May and June, and a 12-year-old boy mauled by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor in January.
Search Operations and Ongoing Investigation
Emergency responders, including water police and the Police Air Wing, remained at the scene late Friday as authorities continued their search. A spokesperson for WA Police stated, “Further information will be provided once police have established the circumstances of the incident and, if required, family notified.”
The DPIRD investigation is ongoing, with officials examining the area for evidence. No further details about the victim or the shark involved have been released. Authorities have urged the public to exercise caution in coastal waters.