A swimmer has been rescued from the water off Port Beach in Perth’s south after being bitten by a shark which circled him as he scrambled onto a stranger’s boat.
Authorities believe a 1.5 metre tiger shark bit the man on the foot at the Sandtrax Surfing Spot around 2.30pm Wednesday afternoon. The swimmer was about 40 metres offshore.
It comes after swimmer Paul Millachip was killed by a shark at the popular beach in 2021.
The beach remains closed as the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Surf Life Saving WA monitor the situation.
Skipper Elliot Kane told 9 News Perth he and his friends rescued the swimmer from the water.
“We’ve just seen the bloke there waving his arms around, we’ve punched it over, got him on the back of the boat and yeah, he was just a bit startled,” he said.
“It’s not really a good thing to see down here at the beach but what can you do about it.”
DPIRD said the shark bumped the man multiple times before biting him, and circled the boat after he was rescued.
The swimmer’s condition is not known, but witnesses said he did not appear to be badly injured.