A freediver died after being bitten by a shark off Rottnest Island near Australia’s south-west coast on Saturday, 16 May, according to Western Australia Police Force.
The 38-year-old man, identified as Steven Mattaboni, a surveyor and father of two from Perth, had been spearfishing with a friend near Horseshoe Reef. According to lifeguards a 4-5m great white shark had been observed in the vicinity before the incident.
“The victim was near a dive-boat when he was bitten on the legs,” said Police Sgt Michael Wear. “He was then taken by that boat 1km to the island.” Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him but were unable to do so.
Mattaboni was described as an experienced spearfisher and secretary of Bluewater Freedivers of Western Australia.
The last time a fatality of this sort had occurred at Rottnest was in 2011, when a 32-year-old diver died. There were 58 fatal shark-bites in Australia between 2000 and 2025 — about 2.3 per year overall – but during the 2020s the average has risen to at least three fatal incidents annually.
Bites a topic in Shark Trust podcast
Series 2 of the UK-based Shark Trust podcast Living With Sharks is now available and explores “what it really means to live alongside sharks”.
“From fisheries and tourism to coastal communities, shark-bite incidents, education and conservation conflict, this series looks at the challenges and opportunities that come with co-existence,” says the Shark Trust.
“We speak to scientists, conservationists and the people working with coastal communities around the world to better understand how we can protect sharks while also supporting the people who share their waters.”
The podcast explores a range of topics with guest experts. Episode 1, now available on major podcast platforms and YouTube, features the trust’s senior conservation officer Cat Gordon talking to host Mark Stokes-Packer about the Living With Sharks project.
Future episodes, released fortnightly, cover aspects such as ecotourism, depredation, beach safety and bite incidents, education and local ecological knowledge, and co-existing with large predators.
