Overview
- Steven Mattaboni, 38, a father of two, was bitten on the legs on Saturday at Horseshoe Reef off Rottnest Island while spearfishing about 80 meters from shore.
- Friends pulled him onto their boat and raced to Geordie Bay jetty, where paramedics and police performed CPR, but he died at the scene.
- Western Australia’s fisheries agency said a great white about four meters long was involved, while Surf Life Saving WA logged a separate sighting of an estimated five-meter white shark nearby.
- Authorities warned swimmers and boaters to take extra care around Horseshoe Reef and Marjorie Bay and stepped up patrols after further reports, including a shark circling a small boat near the island.
- The death is Australia’s second fatal shark attack of 2026 and the first in Western Australia since March 2025, a pattern researchers link to warmer seas and more people using coastal waters.