News & Alerts

Officers caught the shark this evening in the same vicinity as where another large white shark (between 3-4.5m) was caught this afternoon, following an incident which saw a young male surfer sustain serious injuries.

Both sharks died on the capture gear and will be transported to Perth for research purposes and further examination by the Department’s shark experts.

Even upon examination it may not be possible to confirm that either shark was involved in the incident this morning.  It is common for sharks to disgorge stomach contents.

The incident involving the male surfer occurred at about 11am today, at Kelpids Beach, Wylie Bay, about six kilometres east of Esperance, 150 metres off the back of the surf break at the beach.

The man suffered serious injuries and is being treated at Royal Perth Hospital after being transported by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The Commonwealth granted an exemption for the deployment of fishing gear.

Beaches have been closed from the start of Wylie Bay to Cape Le Grand.

Department of Parks and Wildlife staff and local shire rangers have patrolled the beach, and advised as many holiday makers as possible about the closures.

Capture lines have been removed and a decision on returning them to the water will be made tomorrow.

Advice is that water users and campers in the area should: 

• Keep informed of the latest detection and sighting information by checking the Surf Life Saving Twitter – twitter.com/SLSWA.
• Report any shark sightings to Water Police on 9442 8600.
• Adhere to any beach closures advised by rangers from the Shire of Esperance or Department of Parks and Wildlife, or volunteer club members from Surf Life Saving WA.