Search for WA surfer after shark attack at Kelp Beds surf break

A man is missing and feared dead after a great white shark attack at the popular Kelp Beds surf break on WA’s south coast.

A surfer is missing in Esperance after reports of a shark attack. Credit: 7NEWS

A man is missing and feared dead after a great white shark attack at the popular Kelp Beds surf break on Western Australia’s south coast, where 17-year-old Laeticia Brewer was fatally mauled while surfing in 2017.

There were witnesses to Friday’s shark attack near the farming town of Esperance, which police said happened at about 10.45am. Someone called 000, but when St John Ambulance and police arrived the surfer could not be found.

DPIRD Fisheries officers are currently investigating a possible shark bite incident a Kelp Beds Esperance. See more: https://t.co/9ChkcSFXDf

— Surf Life Saving WA (@SLSWA) October 9, 2020

A board believed to be his was retrieved and late yesterday the search for him continued.

Kelp Beds is where surfer Sean Pollard was mauled by two great white sharks in 2014. His left arm and right hand were bitten off. In January, scuba diver Gary Johnson was killed by a great white in deep water near Cull Island off Esperance.

Western Australia’s shark mitigation strategy relies heavily on eye witness reports and an app called Shark Smart WA, which issues alerts to sightings.

St John is on standby at the scene of a possible shark attack in Esperance. Search currently underway. No more details at this stage.

— St John WA (@stjohn_wa) October 9, 2020

The app also alerts users whenever a transponder detects a shark that has previously been tagged and released. There is a transponder at Kelp Beds though the shark that attacked on Friday is not thought to have been tagged.

“A surfer believed to be an adult male was involved in a serious shark bite incident at 10:45am on 9 October 2020 while surfing at Kelp Beds surf break near Esperance,” the state’s Fisheries department wrote in an alert on Friday afternoon.

“WA Police report a surf board has been recovered from the water, however, at this time the surfer has not been located. A marine search and rescue operation is ongoing in the area.”

The Esperance shire closed all local beaches for the day and put up warning signs.