A 39-year-old man died after being attacked by a shark while fishing on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Police confirmed today. The attack occurred shortly before noon at Kennedy Shoal near Hull River Heads boat dock.
This marks the third fatality from shark attacks in Australia since the beginning of 2026, following two others: one on May 16 off Western Australia and a separate incident earlier this year.
Emergency responders pulled the victim from the water but he could not be saved. The specific species of shark responsible remains under investigation; blunt-nosed sharks, tiger sharks, and white sharks are known to inhabit the Great Barrier Reef area and warm waters of coastal shoals.
According to the Australian Shark Incident Database, Australia typically experiences about 20 shark-related injuries and 2.8 deaths annually.
