Surfer Ben Gerring has died after he was critically injured in a shark attack off a beach south of Perth.
Mr Gerring, 29, died in Royal Perth Hospital on Friday night.
He had been there since his leg was bitten off by a shark while he was surfing at Falcon near Mandurah, on Tuesday.
Mr Gerring was attacked about 4pm and had his right leg severed above the knee. He was later transferred from Peel Health Campus to Royal Perth Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Ben Gerring died after being attacked by a shark.Credit: Facebook
Mr Gerring's death is the first shark fatality in WA since December 2014, when spear fisherman Jay Muscat was killed by a four to five-metre great white near Albany.
Mr Gerring's family thanked everyone involved in his rescue and treatment at Royal Perth Hospital in what was a difficult time.
"The bravery and efforts of his rescuers and the care provided by the doctors and nurses has been amazing," the family said.
"We would also like to thank family and friends for their messages of love and support. They are greatly appreciated."
Paramedics worked to save Ben Gerring but he died in hospital several days after he was attacked by a shark.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola
Fly-in, fly-out worker Mr Gerring was surfing with friends at popular surf break Gearies Beach when he was mauled. Fellow surfers raced to his aid.
"I paddled out to them, they needed a hand and that's when I saw this fellow, he was very pale, they had him propped up on a surfboard paddling in, there was about 100m to go so we got him all the way ashore and then applied CPR," Ian Barker told reporters.
Distraught witnesses at the scene of the attack near Mandurah.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola
Mr Gerring's friend, Mandurah Boardriders Club president Brian Williams told the ABC he had just paddled further out into the ocean to catch a bigger wave when "all hell broke loose".
Mandurah Mail deputy editor Nathan Hondros told Radio 6PR there were desperate scenes at the beach. Mr Hondros had gone to the beach to interview for a story on a new shark app when the attack happened.
"We've got the bloke out of the water, he seems to have lost a leg from above the knee and it looks
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