A 29-year-old surfer, Brad Smith, was killed in a rare and coordinated attack by two great white sharks off the coast of Gracetown, Western Australia. The incident occurred at Left Handers Beach, approximately 250km from Perth, while Smith was surfing with companions.
Witnesses described a sudden and violent disturbance around Smith, with one shark described as 'the size of a car' emerging from the water and crashing into his surfboard, breaking it in half. Smith briefly fought off the first shark, but a second shark was then seen circling the area, leading witnesses to describe the attack as an ambush.
Seventeen-year-old surfer Cameron Rowe reported seeing a fin nearly a yard high and a shark body about the width of a car, with jaws as wide as a man's arm. Friend Mitch Campbell recounted Smith punching at the sharks while others shouted encouragement. After approximately 45 seconds, Smith disappeared beneath the surface, and the sea turned red.
Despite the danger, Smith's friends paddled out and brought him back to shore. An anaesthetist who was surfing nearby examined him and concluded his injuries were unsurvivable, with death likely swift. Police later recovered Smith's surfboard, which had been bitten clean through.
Fisheries officers launched a search by boat and helicopter, but the sharks were never found. Great white shark attacks remain exceptionally uncommon, as the species typically avoids humans.
