A local at most West Australia lineups Andrew Thirlwell via Getty

“Absolutely Shocking”: Teen Killed in Australia Shark Attack

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Feb 3, 2025 1:10 PM ET

A teenage girl has died following a shark attack in Australia. The incident occurred at Woorim Beach on Bribie Island, about an hour north drive from Brisbane on Queensland’s coastline.

The attack occurred on Monday, February 3rd at 4:55pm local time. According to an update from the Queensland Ambulance department on X (Twitter), “Paramedics have responded to Woorim Beach at 4.45pm following reports of a serious shark bite incident,” with the majority of the damage done to her upper body. The police further stated the victim sustained “life-threatening injuries.”

Paramedics attempted to save the victim on the beach, but to no avail. She died at the scene.

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Following the attack, a local, Christopher Potter, called the attack “absolutely shocking.”

"A lot of people have swimming groups round here, they do swim along here in the morning and afternoon," he told Channel 7 News affiliate ITV News. “I've been here for many, many years and I've never seen anything like it. I've never heard of this happening. We all know in the ocean here there is lots of sharks, but you just don't expect this to happen.”

It’s been a heavy couple years with regards to sharks in Australia. Most notably, 28-year-old surfer Lance Appleby was attacked and killed on January 2nd in South Australia while in the lineup at Granites Beach. His body was never recovered. Family and friends honored Appleby with a memorial paddle-out, calling him “forever young, forever surfing, forever loved.”

After that, another surfer had a brush with a bronze whaler in Western Oz. Dale Kittow, 37, the surfer in question, was lucky to come out of that one alive. Speaking of the brawl, he said:

“I jumped off the back of my board and put it in between me and the shark. The shark bit into the board, we got tangled in my leg rope, went under and got dragged for a bit. I hit it a few times.”

Sadly, however, the teenager in Australia’s most recent attack wasn’t so lucky. Sending our condolences to the victim’s family and friends following this tragic event.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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