Man Dies After Shark Attack at Kennedy Shoal in Queensland
Police said the man died from a critical head injury after being retrieved from the water by friends.
- On Sunday, May 24, 2026, a 66-year-old man died following a shark attack at Kennedy Shoal in Far North Queensland, with emergency services responding shortly after midday.
- Kennedy Shoal, a submerged reef located between Mission Beach and Cardwell, is a popular fishing and diving destination where paramedics met the victim at Hull River Heads Boat Ramp.
- Queensland Police are preparing a report for the state coroner as the death is not currently treated as suspicious; the Department of Primary Industries confirmed the incident was not reported to the Shark Control Program Hotline.
- This fatality follows the death of spearfisherman Steven Mattaboni near Rottnest Island in West Australia last week; his wife Shirene Mattaboni described him as "fiercely loyal, endlessly generous, and the kind of man who would give you the shirt off his back."
- Shark incidents in Far North Queensland remain notable, including a teenage boy who suffered serious injuries after an attack off Thursday Island last year, though the shark species in the latest incident remains unknown.
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The man later died from his injuries.
Shark attack kills man at Australia's Great Barrier Reef in 2nd...
A man has died after a shark attack off the north-east coast of Australia, the second fatal incident in the country in as many weeks, with beaches in the area closed as authorities assess safety conditions. Emergency services were called to Hull River Heads boat ramp near Tully on the Cassowary Coast, in Queensland, just before noon on Sunday after reports that a 39-year-old had been attacked while swimming at Kennedy Shoal, a shallow reef used …
Man killed in shark attack off northeastern Australia
A man has died after he was attacked by a shark while spearfishing off the coast of Queensland, Australia, according to officials. Emergency services were called just after 12 p.m. on Sunday to the Hull River boat ramp near Hull Heads, a coastal area in Far North Queensland about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Cairns, after receiving reports of a shark attack, according to ABC News Australia, citing police. Queensland Police said the 39-yea…
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