The search for the remains of a 63-year-old swimmer killed in a shark attack at Sorrento Beach in Perth has entered a second day, with strong winds hampering emergency services.
Police were called to the beach, north of Perth city centre, at about 10.15am on Friday after reports of a swimmer in distress. The man had been in the water with a friend around 15 metres from shore.
Police later confirmed that he had died in the attack, but his body had not been recovered. His friend is understood to have reached the shore safely.
Water Police and the Police Air Wing took part in a major search on Friday, which continued on Saturday morning. Officers searched the shoreline while a police vessel remained in the area, weather permitting.
Beaches in the area remained closed as the Bureau of Meteorology issued a strong wind warning for Perth local waters and the coast. Some search efforts were paused because of the conditions.
Search continues after Sorrento Beach shark attack
Witnesses said dozens of people were at the beach when the incident happened. Local man Ryan Rowe described seeing a large amount of blood in the water.
“Basically the shark grabbed him again, pulled him back down, and then it went out a bit further,” he said.
“It popped back up again, and then went back down, and they haven’t seen the body since.”
Mr Rowe said local residents were shocked by the incident, adding: “I couldn’t believe there was that much blood [coming] out of a human body.”
The Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is liaising with police and will assist, if possible, in identifying the shark species for a report to the coroner.
Land-based patrols were being carried out in the area by state government officials, while beaches in the City of Joondalup remained closed.
A shark barrier at Sorrento Beach, jointly funded by the state government and the city council, was installed in 2016. It was about 670 metres long and 400 metres wide before being removed in 2020.
Richard Lailey, who lives close to the beach, said he had previously seen a great white shark circle a group of four kayakers for about ten minutes. He also said a shark SMART drumline had been triggered by a great white in the area about ten days earlier.
“September and October, of course, is when the whales are travelling south, and that is the time to avoid swimming in the water,” Mr Lailey said.
He suggested the barrier might be reinstated, but acknowledged that it had been costly to maintain and had struggled in the coastal conditions. Another resident, Mandy, said the enclosure had often been damaged by swell.
The incident follows a separate shark attack at Glenfield Beach, north of Geraldton, on Monday. Surfer Mel Ismail, 56, was seriously injured and taken to Geraldton Health Campus; he is now in a stable condition.
