The search for the remains of a swimmer killed in a shark attack off Perth’s Sorrento Beach has resumed for a second day, although difficult weather is hampering emergency crews.
Authorities rushed to the beach, north of Perth’s CBD, shortly after 10.15am on Friday after a series of desperate calls for assistance.
Police later confirmed that a 63-year-old man had died in the shark attack while swimming with a friend around 15 metres from shore.
Water Police officers and the Police Air Wing began a large-scale search on Friday, with the operation continuing into Saturday morning.
“The 63-year-old male swimmer has not been located. Police conducted a search of the shoreline this morning (Saturday),” a WA Police spokesperson said.
“A WA Police Force Water Police vessel will remain in the area today, weather permitting. Beaches in the area remain closed.”
Some search efforts were suspended by mid-morning as conditions worsened. The Bureau of Meteorology had issued a strong wind warning for Perth’s local waters and coastline.
Dozens of beachgoers were nearby when the Sorrento Beach shark attack unfolded, with witnesses reporting a “large pool of blood” visible in the water.
Emergency services were called to Sorrento Beach, north of Perth’s city centre, at 10.15am on Friday after frantic pleas for help.
The 63-year-old swimmer was about 15 metres from shore with a friend when he was fatally attacked by a shark.
Responders, including Water Police and the Police Air Wing, launched a major search operation on Friday, which continued on Saturday morning
‘Basically the shark grabbed him again, pulled him back down, and then it went out a bit further,’ local man Ryan Rowe told The West Australian.
Mr Rowe added: ‘It popped back up again, and then went back down, and they haven’t seen the body since.’
He said locals who frequent the stretch of coast were shocked by the incident, adding: ‘I couldn’t believe there was that much blood [coming] out of a human body.
‘We’re always sort of in and out of the water and stuff like that – it’s so close to home.’
No details about the missing person have been released. It is understood his friend safely made it back to shore.
Beaches in the City of Joondalup remained closed on Saturday morning and WA government officials have been carrying out land-based patrols in the area.
The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is liaising with police and, if possible, will assist in confirming the species of shark involved to form a report for the coroner.
The state government and city council previously co-funded an eco shark barrier at the beach in 2016 which was approximately 670m long and 400m wide. It was removed in 2020.
By mid-morning, some responders had to pause their efforts due to adverse conditions, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a strong wind warning for Perth local waters and the coast
Richard Lailey, who lives 800m from Sorrento Beach, told The West there were some measures in place but he had had his own experience with a shark almost a year ago.
‘About a year ago to this day, I was one of a group of four kayakers down here that was circled by a great white shark for about 10 minutes,’ he said.
‘I also saw that the shark SMART drumline just over there was triggered about 10 days ago by a great white shark.
‘I think that the fact of the matter is, this happened a year ago, almost today, this is obviously the danger time. 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 addressed the absence of a shark net after the barrier was removed.
‘It was costly to maintain, and I believe that was the reason why it was taken away in the end, so maybe it’s time to put it back,’ he said.
‘We’ve got the prevailing southwesterlies here that come into this corner, and it takes a bit of a beating. In concept it was a great idea, but in practice it didn’t work out very well.’
The sentiment was echoed by fellow resident Mandy, who said the conditions had caused problems for the previous enclosure.
‘They took the shark net down a few years ago. I think because of the swell, they found that it wasn’t actually working, and a lot of the time it was breaking,’ she said.
‘Shark mitigation methods would be helpful. I mean, obviously, we’d want more tagged sharks as a warning to tell us when something is coming towards you, so that’s probably a better idea than anything else.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the City of Joondalup for comment.
The incident comes after a man was rushed to hospital on Monday following a shark attack on a remote WA beach.
Emergency services responded to Glenfield Beach, north of Geraldton in the state’s Mid West, shortly after 9.45am on Monday.
Surfer Mel Ismail, 56, was seriously injured and rushed to nearby Geraldton Health Campus under lights and sirens.
It is understood the off-duty firefighter lost his foot in the attack. He is now in a stable condition.
Surf Lifesaving WA’s helicopter shark patrols began for summer last week.
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