Diver dies in third shark attack in same country within a month
A man has died after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing, Australia's third fatality in the last month.
Daniel Turpin had been spearfishing with his family on Saturday (6 June) when he was attacked by a shark near Michaelmas Island, roughly 400km southeast of Perth, Australia.
The 35-year-old was pulled from the water and taken back to shore, where paramedics unsuccessfully attempted to revive him.
Officers who attended the scene are now preparing a report for the coroner. The species of shark which attacked Turpin is currently unknown.
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Relatives of Turpin, who was newly married and local to the area, have since issued a statement on his passing, calling the panel beater an 'adored husband, son, brother and uncle who had a lifelong love and deep respect for the ocean'.
"Our family is devastated by this tragic loss and we are still coming to terms with what has happened,' the family wrote," a statement given to ABC News on behalf of the family said.
"Daniel brought enormous joy to the lives of those who knew and loved him, and he will be deeply missed."
Third fatal shark attack in a month
Turpin's death is the third shark attack to strike Australia to happen within the past couple of weeks.
Steven Mattaboni
On 16 May, Steven Mattaboni was attacked and killed by a shark while spearfishing near Rottnest Island, which is off the coast of Perth, Western Australia when he was fatally attacked.
"Our hearts are irrevocably broken by the loss of Steven, known affectionately to his mates as Mattas," his wife, Shirene, said in a statement provided to media outlets (via The Guardian). "An avid fisherman and spearfisherman, who lived and breathed the ocean, he was always in tune with the sea.
“He was fiercely loyal, endlessly generous," she continued, describing her husband and the father of her children as a man who would 'give you the shirt off his back'.
Michael Jensz
Just days after the death of Mattaboni, it was revealed that a 39-year-old man was attacked and killed off the coast of North Queensland.
It was later revealed that the man, who has not been named in the media, had been spearfishing near the Great Barrier Reef's Kennedy Shoal on 24 May.
He was later identified as Michael Jensz, a husband and father from Cairns, with Nine News reporting that he was brought to shore for treatment but ultimately died of his injuries.
How dangerous is spearfishing?
The deaths will most likely raise concerns about the safety of spearfishing, a technique where fish are caught underwater with a handheld spear, a sport which is considered by many to be one of the most dangerous aquatic sports.
Speaking about the sport after the death of Mattaboni, Gavin Naylor, Director for Florida Program for Shark Research, told LADbible that spearfishing 'unambiguously' attracts sharks into an area.
"Speared fish generate vibrations attracting sharks in from quite a distance away," he explained.
"Once the sharks are brought into a local area, they smell the blood from speared fish and will often focus their attention on the spear fishermen carrying the fish on a stringer."
Topics: World News, Shark Attacks, Sharks, Australia
Brenna Cooper