Australian surfer dies after shark attack
A 31-year-old man was surfing by himself early Tuesday morning when he was attacked near Gracetown, about 270km (167 miles) south of Perth. He died from his injuries.
According to the Fisheries Department, details as to what type of shark that attack the man is still unclear.
Officials said sightings of sharks are recurrent in the waters but fatal shark attacks are rare although a surfer was killed in the area in 2004.
Based on a local media reports, the surfer had been spotted by a resident watching from his house.
Rob Alder told ABC he had rushed down to the beach and alerted a rescue crew, while he tried to resuscitate the man.
Mr Alder said there were reports of a large number of seals in the area at the time of the attack.
"It’s my thought, as often happens, the shark had probably mistaken the surfer for a seal," Mr Alder was quoted as saying.
"He hadn’t bitten away anything, it was just like a nip, there was no sign that the shark had viewed the surfer as a meal."
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