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A man who died after he was bitten by a suspected 4.5-metre shark off the coast of Albany on Saturday has been identified as Daniel Turpin, a father and husband with a “deep respect for the ocean”.
Turpin’s family shared a statement about the 35-year-old’s death and described him as an “adored husband, son, brother and uncle”.
“Our family is devastated by this tragic loss and we are still coming to terms with what has happened. Daniel brought enormous joy to the lives of those who knew and loved him, and he will be deeply missed,” the family wrote.
“We would like to thank the emergency services personnel and all those who have offered their support and compassion during this incredibly difficult time.
Turpin was attacked about 11.20am on Saturday morning while spearfishing 10 metres off the coast of Michaelmas Island, in King George Sound. The island sits approximately 13 kilometres off the coast of Albany.
He was rushed to shore but was unable to be revived by St John Ambulance paramedics.
The governing body for Australian underwater sports will create a new code of conduct to help mitigate shark safety risks following the death of a spearfisherman in Albany on Saturday.
Australian Underwater Federation president Graham Henderson told this masthead there was currently “nothing out there” advising people recreationally diving and spearfishing on how to mitigate shark attacks.
“We have a code of conduct, and we’re going to revamp that code of conduct and include a lot more things for people that are just recreationally diving,” Henderson said.
“Then we’ll release that to the public and to anybody who is interested in scuba diving, free diving [and spearfishing] who want to mitigate the risk of shark attack.
“Obviously, there’s nothing out there that’s sort of advising people what the best thing to do is, so we will be putting something out.”
There have now been three fatal shark attacks in Australia in the last four weeks – two in WA, both involving spearfishermen – and four in total this year.
Three weeks ago, father-of-two Steven Mattaboni, 38, died after he was bitten on the legs by a four-metre great white shark off the coast of Rottnest Island in WA.
The following week, Cairns father Michael Jensz died after he was bitten by a shark near Hull Heads in Far North Queensland, and in January, 12-year-old Nico Antic died after he was attacked by a shark after jumping off rocks west of Shark Beach at Nielsen Park in Vaucluse, New South Wales.
WA Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis told reporters on Sunday she was heartbroken by the news of another fatal shark attack in the state.
“Obviously, there’ve been two tragic incidents in the last three weeks where we’ve seen spear fishermen interact with sharks, and there’ve been two fatalities. I want to start by expressing my heartfelt condolences to the families involved, the friends of those people involved, and of course, the first responders in both incidents,” she said.
“We know that in both incidents there were people on hand to give first aid, and there were other volunteers and professional emergency services responders.
“We had people who were spearfishing a long way from the mainland, they were doing something that they loved, they were aware of the risks, they were fishing responsibly a long way from public beaches, and these are two tragedies.”
Jarvis said the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development was conducting patrols in the area.
She urged all water users to access the state’s Smart Shark WA app to check activity in the local area before using the water.
“I just want to say WA has one of the best shark hazard mitigation strategies in the world. We have real-time reporting through the Shark Smart WA app,” she said.
“We know West Australians love the water, they love ocean activities, whether it be fishing or swimming or surfing, and I know this tragedy will be felt deeply by all West Australians.”
Jarvis said there is “certainly no data” that suggests there is currently any increased shark activity compared to previous years,
“My understanding is we’ve had around 10 reported interactions with sharks this year to date. We had 19 last year,” she said.
“Interactions can be something as simple as a fisherman getting a nip on the hand from a small shark while fishing, right through to obviously the tragedies that we’ve seen in recent weeks.”
Henderson said there were some ways spearfishers could help mitigate shark risks.
“It’s about diving in a pair, one up, one down, so you can always see them,” he said.
“A spear generally will slow a shark down quite quickly, but it’s a matter of how you dive. It’s a matter of not burling up the water, getting rid of your fish out of the water onto a boat, and not towing them behind you.
“It’s all these sorts of things that matter at the end of the day and make it safer for spearfishermen.”
Albany locals told 9News Perth Turpin’s death came as a shock to the whole township.
“It’s obviously not good news to hear, and it really takes a toll on this community. Just is one of those small towns where everybody does know each other, so when one hurts, they all do,” Mikayla Archbold said.
The last fatal shark attack in Albany was almost 12 years ago when 17-year-old Jay Muskett was killed while spearfishing at a popular spot called Three Stripes, off Cheynes beach.
with Rebecca Peppiatt
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