A spearfisher has died after being mauled by a shark on the Great Barrier Reef, marking Australia's second fatal shark attack in just over a week, police confirmed on Sunday.
The 39-year-old man was diving with three friends at Kennedy Shoal, a shallow coral reef off the Queensland coast south of Cairns, when the attack occurred. Police Inspector Elaine Burns said the victim had been spearfishing and sustained a critical head injury.
The man, a resident of Cairns, was brought by boat to the tourist town of Hull Heads around noon, where paramedics were waiting. An ambulance service statement described his injuries as “not compatible with life.” Kennedy Shoal is popular with recreational fishers and divers, who are also attracted to the nearby Lady Bowen, a 19th-century shipwreck. Fishers had reported bull sharks in the area before the attack.
This incident follows the fatal mauling of spearfisher Steve Mattabonni on May 16 at a coral reef off Rottnest Island near Western Australia's southwest coast. The 38-year-old Perth resident was taken by boat to the holiday island but could not be resuscitated.
Australia has averaged more than three fatal shark attacks per year in recent decades. This is the country's third shark fatality for 2026, following the death of 12-year-old Nico Antic, who died in hospital days after being attacked by a suspected bull shark off a Sydney beach on January 18.
