Overview
- A man believed to be a US national and in his 40s was spearfishing with a 20-year-old companion when both were caught in a rip at Shelly Beach in Manly and the older man was pulled unconscious from the water.
- Paramedics and police performed CPR and emergency treatment before the man was taken to hospital, where he later died.
- The younger man was uninjured and police have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
- Authorities will prepare a report for the coroner and the case adds to a recent cluster of spearfishing-related coastal fatalities that has prompted renewed calls for better monitoring and safety measures.
- Experts and stakeholders point to risks tied to spearfishing—remote locations, injured fish attracting sharks, and strong rip currents—and say expanded monitoring, public guidance and coronial recommendations could change how beaches and fisheries are managed.