A 39-year-old man died after a shark attack while spearfishing with friends at Kennedy Shoal on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland police confirmed on Sunday. The incident, Australia’s third fatal shark attack this year, occurred off the coast south of Cairns during a recreational dive outing.
Police Inspector Elaine Burns stated the man sustained a critical head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim, a Cairns resident, was retrieved from the water by a nearby companion who witnessed the attack. He was then transported by boat to Hull Heads, where paramedics awaited, but his injuries were fatal.
Kennedy Shoal is a shallow coral reef favored by recreational fishers and divers, who are additionally attracted to the nearby Lady Bowen shipwreck. The specific species of shark involved in the attack has not been identified. However, local fishers noted bull sharks had been observed in the area prior to the incident.
Gererd Pike, captain of a fishing charter vessel located about six miles from Kennedy Shoal, reported encountering large numbers of aggressive bull sharks nearby. “We were chasing Spanish mackerel and had one eaten by a pack of six of them, four meters off the edge of the boat,” Pike said. He described the sharks as “vicious” and “unpredictable,” noting his group avoided entering the water due to the risk.
Another nearby dive operator, Rob Parsonage, commented that shark attacks in the area are rare despite the presence of bull and tiger sharks. “It is not very common at all. It is one of those unfortunate things,” he said, adding that sharks are “competing with the fishermen.”
Why it matters
This attack highlights ongoing safety concerns for recreational divers and fishers in regions frequented by large predatory sharks. Australia has averaged more than three fatal shark attacks annually in recent decades, raising public and official awareness about shark-human interactions in coastal waters.
The incident occurred just over a week after a fatal shark attack on spearfisher Steve Mattabonni off Rottnest Island, Western Australia. That attack involved a suspected 16-foot great white shark and similarly involved friends witnessing the tragedy.
Background
Since 1791, Australia has recorded nearly 1,300 shark incidents, more than 260 of which were fatal. Shark activity is reportedly influenced by factors such as increasing human presence in coastal waters and climate-driven changes in ocean temperatures, which may alter shark migratory patterns and behavior.
Earlier this year, 12-year-old Nico Antic died from a suspected bull shark attack near Sydney, prompting beach closures in the city. In late 2025, shark attacks also resulted in one death and one serious injury at a beach in a national park on Australia’s east coast.
The recurring fatal attacks in Australia’s popular dive and fishing locations underscore the ongoing need for monitoring, public education, and risk management in areas where humans and sharks frequently coexist.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following source:
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