{"id":850274,"date":"2026-06-07T07:54:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T07:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/850274\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T07:54:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T07:54:27","slug":"daniel-turpin-named-as-diver-killed-in-shark-attack-off-albany-wa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/850274\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniel Turpin named as diver killed in shark attack off Albany, WA"},"content":{"rendered":"

The family of a 35-year-old man who died after being bitten by a shark off WA’s southern coast yesterday has described his deep respect for the ocean while thanking those who came to his aid.<\/p>\n

Daniel Turpin had been spearfishing with family near Michaelmas Island<\/a>, off the tourist town of Albany, when he was attacked about 11:20am local time.<\/p>\n

He was met by paramedics after being raced back to shore but could not be revived.<\/p>\n

In a statement, his family said he was “an adored husband, son, brother and uncle who had a lifelong love and deep respect for the ocean”.<\/p>\n

\"Turpin<\/p>\n

Daniel Turpin with his family at his wedding.\u00a0 (Supplied)<\/p>\n

“Our family is devastated by this tragic loss and we are still coming to terms with what has happened,” they wrote.<\/p>\n

“Daniel brought enormous joy to the lives of those who knew and loved him, and he will be deeply missed.<\/p>\n

“We would like to thank the emergency services personnel and all those who have offered their support and compassion during this incredibly difficult time.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Jackie Jarvis says there is nothing to suggest increased shark activity off the state\u2019s coast.\u00a0 (ABC News: Keane Bourke)<\/p>\n

Earlier, WA Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis offered her “heartfelt condolences” to Mr Turpin\u2019s family and friends as well as first responders.<\/p>\n

But she said there was nothing to suggest increased shark activity off the state\u2019s coast, despite two spear fishers being fatally attacked within three weeks.<\/p>\n

In mid-May, 38-year-old Steven Mattaboni was unable to be saved after being bitten off the coast of Rottnest Island, near Perth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms Jarvis described both deaths as a tragedy, but defended WA as having \u201cone of the best shark hazard mitigation strategies in the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

‘Devoted father and gentleman’: Tributes flow for shark attack victim <\/a><\/p>\n

The wife of a 38-year-old Perth man who died in a shark attack off the coast of Rottnest Island in Western Australia describes him as a devoted father and avid spearfisherman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is certainly no data or information that suggests there is increased shark activity any different from other years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Western Australian ocean users understand the risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job is to provide really good information, which we do, so that people can make informed decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Jarvis said there had been 10 shark interactions with humans so far this year, compared with 19 last year.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the state had tagged about 200 sharks, which can be detected by 38 monitoring network receivers along the coastline.<\/p>\n

Local community reacts<\/p>\n

The local MP for Albany, Scott Leary, said the incident was devastating for the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a tight-knit community, everybody knows each other. I do know the parents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

Scott Leary says the incident is devastating for the town. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Mr Leary urged people to be careful in the water, especially when conditions are as nice as they have been recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy personal thought is selective culling, especially around populated areas, might be a solution,\u201d he said. \u201c[But] we need to be guided by the science.\u201d<\/p>\n

Albany commercial shark fisherman Brian Sell said he believed more fatalities were likely if shark populations were not controlled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, well, it\u2019s gonna happen because there\u2019s more and more white pointers [great white sharks] around than there’s ever been,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Brian Sell says more fatal shark attacks could occur if shark populations are not controlled.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 (ABC News: Andrew Chounding)<\/p>\n

Mr Sell said a cull of predatory sharks, in particular, was necessary.<\/p>\n

Thirteen years after shark hooks, WA still grapples with deadly attacks<\/a><\/p>\n

The approach to tackling shark attacks has changed dramatically since the 2013 catch-and-kill policy, with a focus on shark tagging and tracking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen five last month. Normally, you know, you might see only a couple a year \u2026 [it’s] only just the start of the season now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This time of year was particularly risky, Mr Sell added, because nearby seal breeding attracted sharks to the area.<\/p>\n

Ms Jarvis said she believed most people who went into the ocean would be aware of the risks, and effectively ruled out a cull.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think there’s any evidence that culling sharks close to shore provides any additional safety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

“These sharks move in a large area very quickly.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ms Jarvis also said she would speak to the spearfishing community to see if there was anything else the state government could do.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Graham Henderson says better science and data are needed to know if shark culls would be effective.\u00a0 (Supplied\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Graham Henderson, president of the Australian Underwater Federation, supported that idea.<\/p>\n

“We need to actually make the general public and the recreational diver more aware of what things they can do to mitigate the risks of shark attack,\u201d he told the ABC.<\/p>\n

Mr Henderson said better science and data were needed to know if culls would be effective, but added that sharks \u201chave a function to fulfil in the ocean\u201d.<\/p>\n

Albany Mayor Greg Stocks said he was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life following the shark attack.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Greg Stocks says he is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life.\u00a0 (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)<\/p>\n

“As a close-knit community, news of such a devastating incident is felt deeply across our city, and our thoughts are with the family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” he said.<\/p>\n

“While no words can ease the grief that accompanies such a tragedy, I hope those affected can find strength and comfort in the support of family, friends and the wider community.<\/p>\n

“I extend my sincere condolences to everyone impacted by this heartbreaking loss, and wish them strength in the times ahead.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The family of a 35-year-old man who died after being bitten by a shark off WA’s southern coast…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":850275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2],"tags":[7285,20184,4740,104,8750,8141,50,60322,60321,8631,7207,11539,22230,8632],"class_list":["post-850274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-accident","tag-albany","tag-australia","tag-breaking-news","tag-emergency-services","tag-incident","tag-news","tag-perth-breaking-news","tag-perth-emergency","tag-perth-news","tag-police","tag-shark","tag-shark-attack","tag-wa-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116707753383678644","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}