Third Whitsundays shark attack leads to fatality

A man has died after a shark attack at Cid Harbour in Queensland's Whitsunday Islands

Queensland Police said the latest victim, a man aged 33, had been swimming with friends when the attack happened on Monday. He was pulled from the water with leg and arm injuries but later died in hospital.

Central Queensland Rescue spokesperson Ben McCauley advised “he had suffered very serious bites, significant blood loss as well as cardiac arrest.”

In September, a 12-year-old girl and a 46-year-old woman were mauled in separate attacks at Cid Harbour within a 24-hour period. The girl later had a leg amputated.

Excluding Monday's incident, unprovoked shark attacks have killed one person and injured 16 others in Australia this year, according to the Australian Shark Attack File.

Following the latest attack, Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones said following conversations with the local mayor and the local tourism industry, even more advice telling people not to swim in Cid Harbour would be fast tracked.

Minister Jones advised that more signs would be installed re-enforcing that no one should swim in Cid Harbour under any circumstances, advising “the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will install temporary signs by the weekend with permanent signs to be installed within the next few weeks.

“Local charter operators have already been active in telling anyone hiring a boat that no one should swim in Cid Harbour.

“Neither the local mayor, Andrew Willcox, marine authorities nor local tourism operators want to see drumlines redeployed.

“They want re-enforced messaging and that’s what we are doing. Water police are on the harbour re-enforcing that message again today.

“As well as new signs we will also work on other ways of getting the message to tourists and boaties.”

Queensland Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said no one should swim in Cid Harbour at any time, adding “we can’t be clearer - don’t swim in Cid Harbour.”