A 35-year-old spearfisherman has become Australia’s third shark victim in just four weeks.
The incident occurred on Saturday (June 6) after the man was mauled off the coast of Michaelmas Island, near the port city of Albany in Western Australia state.
It was while he was underwater fishing with relatives that the incident occurred around noon, according to police reports. His body was then transported to Albany by boat, where he was unable to be revived by medics upon arrival.
This latest wave of deaths is remarkable, even in a country where an average of three people die each year from shark bites.
Earlier, a 39-year-old man was killed on May 24, 2026. The victim, identified as Michael Jensz, suffered insurmountable head injuries during an attack on the Great Barrier Reef. A week earlier, on May 16, a 13-foot-long white shark killed 38-year-old spearfisherman Steve Mattabonni in the waters around Rottnest Island, northwest of Albany.
Australia’s second and final fatal shark attack this year took place in January, in which a 12-year-old boy died following a bull shark attack on Sydney Harbour.
Scientists believe the increase in shark attacks is due to changes in migratory patterns due to increasing ocean temperatures and increasingly populated phenomena. As the International Shark Attack File reports, more than 1,280 shark attacks have been recorded since 1791.
