Escalation: Great White Shark Kills 38-Year-Old Near Rottnest

Steven Mattaboni, 38, was killed while spearfishing with friends at Horseshoe Reef off Rottnest Island shortly before 10 a.m. He was on the surface about 20 meters from his boat and roughly 80 meters from shore when a shark bit both lower legs.

His friends pulled him from the water and rushed him to shore. Paramedics performed CPR on the jetty for about 30 minutes, but he died at the scene.

The attack was attributed to a great white. Size estimates ranged from about four meters to five meters, with a white shark sighting logged 80 meters offshore around the time. Authorities urged extra caution in the Horseshoe Reef and Marjorie Bay areas as patrols monitored the water.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources