Diver mauled to death by great white shark watched by his horrified girlfriend feet away in a boat
A DIVER was mauled to death by a great white shark in front of his horrified girlfriend.
Gary Johnson was savaged by the animal at 1.30pm today off Cull Island in Western Australia as Karen Milligan watched from a boat just metres away.
A search is now being carried out for the diver’s body after he was attacked by the great white, news.com.au reports.
His partner Karen was taken to hospital where she was treated for shock following the horror attack.
First responder Glen Quinlaven was setting up for a day trip on his boat when he heard her panicked cries for help.
He said: “We tried to find him. We tried to help her but to no avail.
“I really feel for her, she’s obviously witnessed something you don’t want to see.”
SHARK ATTACKS
A SharkSmart alert said fisheries officers were “investigating a possible shark bite incident”.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said: “A man received fatal injuries after being bitten by a reported white shark.”
It is the second fatal shark attack in the region in less than three years.
In 2017, Laeticia Brouwer, 17, died after being mauled by a beast near Wylie Bay.
The teenager, also known as Teesh, was surfing with her dad when the shark struck and pulled her under the water.
After hearing her screams, her dad paddled over and dragged her to the shore before frantically trying “everything he could to save her”.
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Laeticia’s mum and two sisters also watched in horror from the beach at Kelp Beds, near Esperance, as the shark ripped her leg off.
The International Shark Attack Files show an incredible 642 shark attacks in Australia since records began — but the actual number of attacks is likely to be much higher.
Around half of the world’s 400 species of shark can be found in Australia, including all of the top three most responsible for attacks on humans: great whites, tigers, and bulls.