Man dies after shark attack in Far North Queensland
Hull Heads is a seaside town about 160 kilometres south of Cairns in Queensland's far north. (ABC Far North: Fiona Sewell)
In short:
A 39-year-old man has died after being attacked by a shark near Hull Heads in Far North Queensland.
Police believe he had been spearfishing off a private boat at the time.
What's next?
A report is being prepared for the coroner, but police believe the man died from a critical head injury.
A man has died following a shark attack near Hull Heads inFar North Queensland.
Emergency services were called to the Hull River boat ramp, 160 kilometres south of Cairns, just after 12pm, after receiving reports of a shark attack.
Queensland Police said the 39-year-old man was attacked while at Kennedy Shoal, a reef site, before being retrieved from the water.
He was declared dead on the boat ramp at about 1pm.
Police believe the man had been spearfishing on a private vessel when he was attacked by a shark.
At this stage, police do not have specific information about how far out at sea the boat was.
A report is being prepared for the coroner, but at this stage, police believe the man died from a critical head injury.
The 39-year-old man was retrieved from the water by another person who was in the water with him at the time of the attack.
Police said the man who pulled the victim from the water was "pretty close" to the incident and witnessed it unfold in full.
All four passengers on the private vessel, including the deceased man, have been returned to shore.
The man was attacked at Kennedy Shoal on the Great Barrier Reef. (Supplied: Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef)
Inspector Elaine Burns described the incident as "tragic" and said police were providing whatever support they could to the men on board and their families
"I would assume they would be pretty traumatised, that's quite a terrifying thing to see happen right in front of you"she said.
She said the species of shark involved in the attack was unknown at this stage, but said the Department of Environment and Science would be involved in the investigation.
It is the second fatal shark attack in Australian waters in as many weeks, after the death of a 38-year-old Perth man off Rottnest Island on May 16.
Steven Mattaboni was attacked about a kilometre offshore while spearfishing with friends at Horseshoe Reef off the WA coast.