As summer weather slowly creeps its way into New Jersey, I am practically foaming at the mouth to get to the beach. I miss the summer sand, I miss the smell of sea foam, and I am so excited to wade in the ocean. However, I don’t believe I’ll be going in deeper than my knees this year. The older I get, the more terrified of the ocean I am. Though it is certainly beautiful and so refreshing to experience, it is full of potential danger, from deadly currents to deadly creatures.
On May 16, 2026, a 38-year-old man was fatally attacked by a 13-foot great white shark.
According to People, the accident occurred in Perth, Australia, just before 10 a.m. The victim was attacked in the water at Horseshoe Reef, near Rottnest Island, the St. John WA Ambulance noted in a statement to People.
“A 38-year-old man was in the water at Horseshoe Reef when he was believed to have been bitten by a shark,” a spokesperson told the magazine. “The man was conveyed by vessel to shore, where he was met by St. John WA paramedics. Sadly, the man was unable to be revived.”
The victim was later identified as Steven Mattaboni, a father of two, who worked as a surveyor, People reported.
“Our daughters have lost an incredible father far too soon,” said his wife, Shirene Mattaboni, who added that he was an “avid fisherman and spearfisherman, who lived and breathed the ocean, he was always in tune with the sea.”
LAD Bible reported that aerial footage of the gruesome scene showed paramedics attempting to revive him.
Details from the scene are nothing short of horrific.
According to 9 News Perth, the man’s friends watched the shark attack as he was spear fishing off the reef. They pulled him aboard and raced him to the jetty in an effort to save his life.
“His friends have actually witnessed the horrific event,” Sergeant Michael Wear told the outlet. “The victim was on the surface at the time, about 20 metres [65ft] away from the vessel. Certainly quite horrific scenes for all involved, and all emergency services that were there did a fantastic job.”
Witness Boyd Fraser told 9 News Perth the man’s death was a “terrible tragedy.”
“I’ve been surfing for over 50 years, and I’ve seen a lot of sharks, and I couldn’t think of anything worse, so I just walked here to pay my respects to him and his family,” Fraser added.
Although sharks have a pretty negative reputation for ‘mauling’ humans, the number of attacks isn’t that large.
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File investigated 105 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2025 and confirmed 65 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 29 provoked bites. In 2025, there were 21 attacks in Australia, and five of them were fatal.
The beach in the area has remained open with patrols taking place, but shark expert Dr. Daryl McPhee told 9 News Perth that residents shouldn’t be too alarmed. Rottnest Island is a popular tourist destination that is reached by ferry.
“The risk of a shark bite is low, it remains low,” the outlet reported he told Today. “I’d be more concerned if the bite occurred right on the beach, but it’s a long way offshore.”
