Authorities Deploy Capture Gear Near Sorrento Beach After Fatal Great White Attack

On Friday morning, 63-year-old Greg James O’Neill was attacked by a great-white shark while swimming about 15 m offshore near Raleigh Road, south of Hillarys Boat Harbour, and was later declared dead, though his body has not been recovered. In response, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has placed capture gear 1.5 km off Sorrento Beach and will conduct both water and land patrols, while the City of Joondalup has closed its beaches from the J210 Marmion sign to the J37 Iluka sign, with reviews slated for later Sunday.

O’Neill’s family called him a passionate swimmer, sports lover and generous, witty man, expressing deep shock and gratitude for community support. Residents gathered at Sorrento Beach to lay flowers, and locals like Craig Young and Debbie Brandy voiced both grief and calls for renewed shark-net protection. Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis acknowledged the rarity of authorising a shark hunt but said the exceptional circumstances and potential evidence recovery warranted the action. This marks the third fatal shark attack in Western Australia in 2026.