Understanding the patterns and impacts of shark attacks is crucial for shark conservation and human safety efforts. Our detailed data page on “Shark Attacks in Australia” provides comprehensive insights into incidents. Each entry offers meticulously sourced and verified information on various aspects of the attack, including when and where it occurred, details on the individual involved, and the context of the activity during the encounter.
The page also includes data on injuries sustained, the species of shark involved, and more. Through this analysis and presentation, we aim to deepen public understanding of shark behaviors and promote safer coexistence for both humans and sharks in Australia. This information can inform policy, conservation efforts, and future research on shark attacks.
Recent Shark Attacks in Australia
| Date / Time | Country / Area | Activity | Name | Sex / Age | Injury | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-24-2023 08h45 | Australia ,Western Australia | Surfing | Jack Frost | M /20 | Laceration to leg | Wfite shark |
| 07-22-2023 | Australia ,Western Australia | Snorkeling | Richard Stubbs | M /77 | Lower left leg bitten | Wobbegong shark |
| 05-13-2023 10h10 | AUSTRALIA ,South Australia | Surfing | Simon Baccanello | M /46 | FATAL | White shark |
| 04-29-2023 15h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Snorkeling | Archie Blake | M /11 | Cuts to leg | |
| 04-29-2023 11h20 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Swimming | male | M | Minor injuries | 1m shark |
| 04-22-2023 07h15 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | Max Marsden | M /30 | Bite to right arm | Bronze whaler shark, 1.5 m |
| 03-22-2023 18h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Wading | Adam Norton | M /30 | Lower left leg and foot injured | |
| 03-16-2023 08h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surf-sking | female | F | 5m to 6m shark | |
| 02-04-2023 15h30 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Swimming | Stella Berry | F /16 | Fatal | Bull shark |
| 01-30-2023 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Fishing | Manni Alam | M /8 | Minor injury to chest | A small shark |
| 12-11-2022 -16h30 | AUSTRALIA ,New South ales | Swimming | male | M /15 | Lower leg.h bitten | |
| 10-23-2022 11h15 | AUSTRALIA ,South Australia | Surf skiing | Nat Drummond | M /19 | No injury, ski holed by shark | 3m shark |
| 10-07-2022 11h30 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Spearfishing | Robbie Peck | M /38 | Multiple injuries to left shoulder, arm and hand | Bull shark |
| 10-06-2022 19h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Victoria | Surfing | Izaac Johnstone | M /17 | Lacerations to foot | |
| 08-31-2022 07h00 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | Sunni Pace | M /14 | Puncture wounds to right hand & forearm | Bronze whaler |
| 08-17-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Kayaking | John Vincent | M | No injury, kayak bitten in half | White shark, 3 m |
| 08-15-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,Westerm Australia | Spearfishing | Luke Pasco | M /17 | Lacerations to lower legs | White shark |
| 06-01-2022 12h15 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Swimming | F | Minor injury | ||
| 05-27-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | Knocked off board by a shark. No injury | Bronze whaler shark, 2m | ||
| 05-20-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Diving | Bailey Haffner | M /20 | No Injury | Bull shark |
| 04-27-2022 | AUSTRALIA | Paddleboarding | Brodie Moss | M /32 | No injury, knocked off board by shark chasing a turtle | |
| 03-15-2022 15h20 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | Tim McAndrew | M /32 | Lacerations and punctures to leg and foot | Bull shark |
| 03-15-2022 16h40 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Swimming | male | M | ||
| 03-08-2022 07h50 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | male | M | No injury, board bitten | |
| 02-17-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Fihing | Rodney Forster | M | Lacerations to left thigh | Tiger shark, 3 m |
| 02-16-2022 16h30 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Swimming | Simon Nellist | M /36 | FATAL | |
| 02-05-2022 11h15 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Floating in inflatable pool ring | Jacquelin Morle | F /20 | Torso bitten | White shark |
| 01-24-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Swimming | Jack Shackle | M | Foot bitten | Wobbegong shark |
| 01-22-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Snorkeling | Jack Trenow and his friend Liam | M | Knees, ankles & feet bitten | Wobbegong shark |
| 01-04-2022 06h30 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | female | F /42 | Minor lacerations to lower thigh | ||
| 01-01-2022 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | male | M /40 | No injury, knocked off board | |
| 12-06-2021 19h20 | AUSTRALIA ,Victoria | Swimming | Jack Shaw | M /15 | Lacerations to back | |
| 12-06-2021 19h20 | AUSTRALIA ,Victoria | Swimmingq | Tiana Athansiou | F /15 | Lacerations to right calf and hand | |
| 11-06-2021 10h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Swimming | Paul Millachip | M /57 | FATAL | |
| 10-16-2021 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Spearfishing | Torrance Sambo | M /26 | Disappeared | |
| 10-15-2021 Dusk | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Swimming | Todd Price | M /34 | Lacerations and puncture to left leg | |
| 09-05-2021 10h30 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | Timothy Thompson | M /31 | FATAL | White xhark |
| 08-07-2021 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Harassing sharks | Rick Manning | M | No Injury, jet ski bitten PROVOKED INCIDENT | |
| 07-27-2021 20h30 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Fishing | male | M /34 | Leg bitten when he jumped on the sharkPROVOKED INCIDENT | Sickelfin lemon shark, 3m |
| 07-19-2021 12h30 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | male | M | No injury, knocked off board by shark | White shark, 3m |
| 07-05-2021 16h30 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | Joe Hoffman | M /25 | Left forearm broken & lacerated | White shark, 3m |
| 06-23-2021 14h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | Alex Dodds | M /25 | Lacerations to calf and ankle | |
| 06-11-2021 11h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Snorkeling | Jackson Bartlett | M /10 | Foot bitten | Bronze whaler shark, 2 m |
| 05-21-2021 11h20 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Spearfishing | Brett Highlands | M /48 | Lacerations to right hand and forearm | |
| 05-18-2021 11h15 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | Mark Sanguinetti | M /59 | FATAL | White shark, 4.5 m |
| 04-19-2021 15h40 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | male | M | Laceration to foot | ||
| 03-27-2021 12h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Spearfishing | Jackson Howson | M /27 | Injury to calf | Whaler or bull shark, 2m |
| 03-20-2021 15h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Paddle boarding | Gary May | M /75 | No injury, board bitten | Blacktip whaler, Carcharhinus tilstoni, 2m |
| 02-20-2021 17h30 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Fishing | Jason Rogers | M | Superficial wound PROVOKED INCIDENT | Bull shark, 80cm |
| 02-02-2021 19h00 | AUSTRALIA ,South Australia | Surf skiing | Jad French | M /17 | No injury, surf ski bitten | Bronze whaler shark |
| 01-29-2021 10h30 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Swimming | female | F /46 | Puncture wounds to foot | |
| 01-23-2021 18h30 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Swimming | Rick Burbury | M /58 | Severe lacerations to left arm | |
| 01-21-2021 17h00 | AUSTRALIA ,South Australia | Snorkeling | Duncan Craw | M /32 | FATAL | White shark |
| 01-13-2021 07h58 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Swimming | Cameron Wrathall | M /54 | Severe injury to leg and broken him | Bull shark, 6.5 to 10 ' |
| 01-11-2021 17h40 | AUSTRALIA ,Victoria | Swimming | male | M /7 | Injury to leg | |
| 12-09-2020 07h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | Sam Heseltine | M | No injury, Board bitten | |
| 12-06-2020 14h20 | AUSTRALIA ,South Australia | Surfing | Dion Lynch | M /29 | Non-life-threatening injuries to buttock and thigh | White shark |
| 11-22-2020 08h40 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Body boarding | Charles Cernobori | M /59 | FATAL | Bull shark |
| 11-02-2020 06h00 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | male | M /13 | Minor injury to left foot, leg and finger | |
| 10-24-2020 12h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Spearfishing | Rick Bettua | M /59 | Severe injury to thigh | |
| 10-09-2020 10h45 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | Andrew Sharpe | M /52 | FATAL | 4m shark |
| 10-04-2020 10h45 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | Sav Marafioti | M /17 | No injury, knocked off board when shark grabbed his leg rope | Bronze whaler 1.5m |
| 09-17-2020 16h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Fishing | male | M /50 | Arm bitten by hooked shark PROVOKED INCIDENT | whitetip shark |
| 09-16-2020 Afternoon | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Foil-boarding | Christian Bungate | M | No injury, board bitten | White shark |
| 09-07-2020 17h00 | AUSTRALIA ,Queensland | Surfing | Nick Slater | M /46 | FATAL | White shark, 3m |
| 08-30-2020 Afternoon | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Fishing / Filming sharks feeding on whale carcass | Occupant: Dean Butler | Shark bit boat, no injury to occupant | White shark | |
| 08-14-2020 09h30 | AUSTRALIA ,New South Wales | Surfing | Chantelle Doyle | F /35 | Lacerations to right calf and posterior thigh | White shark, 2-to 3m |
| 07-31-2020 14h15 | AUSTRALIA ,Western Australia | Surfing | Phil Mummert | M /28 | Lacerations to leg | White shark, 4m |
| 07-29-2020 09h08 | AUSTRALIA ,Tasmania | Sightseeing | 5.5 m runabout. Occupants: Sean & James Vinar | No injury to occupants, injury to shark attempting to swallow anchor | White shark, 4m | |
| 07-17-2020 13h30 | AUSTRALIA ,Tasmania | Fishing | Lucas Arnott | M /10 | Lacerations to arm, head & chest | White shark |
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What is the most common type of shark involved in attacks in Australia?
The White Shark, also known as the Great White, is the most frequently reported species involved in unprovoked attacks in Australia.
Are all shark attacks in Australia fatal?
No, not all shark attacks in Australia are fatal. Many incidents result in minor injuries, and some encounters result in no injuries at all.
What activities are most commonly associated with shark attacks in Australia?
Surfing, swimming, and diving are the activities most commonly associated with shark attacks. This may be due to the frequency of these activities in areas inhabited by sharks.
