A spearfisher has died following a shark attack on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, marking the second fatal incident involving the marine predators in just over a week. The 39-year-old man was attacked on Sunday while diving with three friends off the coast of Queensland.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the victim had been spearfishing at Kennedy Shoal, a popular site for recreational fishing and diving, when the incident occurred. Police Inspector Elaine Burns confirmed that the man sustained critical head injuries and was pronounced dead.
Paramedics were waiting for the man at the tourist town of Hull Heads, near where the spearfisher was brought by boat around noon. An ambulance service statement indicated the man had suffered injuries incompatible with life. Bull sharks had reportedly been observed in the area prior to the attack.
This fatality follows another fatal shark attack on May 16, when spearfisher Steve Mattabonni, 38, was mauled at a coral reef off Rottnest Island, near the southwest coast of Western Australia. Despite efforts by paramedics on the holiday island, he could not be resuscitated. A five-metre great white shark is suspected to have been involved in that incident.
The recent attacks underscore a pattern of shark-related fatalities in Australian waters. The death of the spearfisher off Queensland is the third reported shark fatality in Australia for the year 2026. Earlier in the year, on January 18, 12-year-old Nico Antic died in hospital days after being attacked by a suspected bull shark off a Sydney beach.
Australia experiences a significant number of shark attacks annually. In recent decades, the country has averaged more than three fatal shark attacks per year, highlighting the ongoing risks associated with marine activities in its coastal waters.
The Chenab Times News Desk