A shark has killed a man swimming off a popular beach near Perth, bringing Australia’s fatal shark attack count to four this year.

Police confirmed the swimmer died after the shark bit him at Sorrento Beach in Western Australia on Friday morning.

Emergency services raced to the scene after the attack. Police helicopters and boats searched the waters while authorities shut down all nearby beaches.

Witnesses saw blood in the water. One man described the attack to local broadcaster Seven as “like a scene off Jaws where a body is flicked around like a rag doll”.

Surf Life Saving WA said an unidentified shark species attacked the swimmer about 50 metres from shore.

This is the second shark attack in Western Australia this week. Days earlier, a shark bit a man at Glenfield Beach north of Perth, causing him to lose part of his leg.

Australia has seen multiple fatal shark attacks in 2026. In January, a boy (12) died after a shark bit him in Sydney Harbour. Between May and June, three divers died in separate attacks – two in Western Australia and one in Queensland.

Also in June, a woman lost part of her left arm when a shark mauled her at Coogee Beach, one of Sydney’s most popular swimming spots.

Records show Australia has logged around 1 300 shark incidents since 1791, with more than 260 ending in death.