'Devoted' father and grandfather-to-be swimming at popular beach killed in suspected fatal shark attack
A 63-year-old Australian man has been killed in a shark attack while swimming at a popular beach in Western Australia, marking one of a string of fatal encounters with sharks reported across the country this year.
Greg O'Neill died at Sorrento Beach, located in the northern suburbs of Perth, on Friday after a great white shark attacked him in full view of horrified beachgoers. Police said they were confident that O'Neill died as a result of the attack, though they have not confirmed whether his remains have been recovered from the water.
According to witnesses, O'Neill had been swimming alongside a friend at the time of the incident. The friend survived but was left deeply shaken by what he saw. Darrel Haythornthwaite, who was nearby when the attack occurred, told Nine Network television that he struggled to come to terms with the scene. "I was just shocked. I mean, I feel for his mate," Haythornthwaite said. He added that O'Neill's companion apologized and said, "I didn't save my mate," to which Haythornthwaite responded, "You couldn't have done anything."
Ryan Rowe, a local resident who arrived at the beach shortly after the attack, described the scene as harrowing. "I couldn't believe there was that much blood (that had) come out of a human body," Rowe told The West Australian newspaper.
The tragedy prompted a rare response from Australia's fisheries minister, Jackie Jarvis, who ordered a catch-and-kill operation targeting the great white shark involved. Great white sharks are a protected species in Australian waters, making such a decision uncommon. In explaining her rationale, Jarvis said, "In making that decision, I considered the exceptional circumstances of the attack, the hazard posed by the shark, and the potential recovery of coronial evidence."
O'Neill's family released a statement through ABC News Australia, expressing their grief and celebrating his life. "Our family is deeply shocked and devastated by the terrible tragedy that took the life of father, grandfather-to-be, brother, uncle, husband and friend, Greg James O'Neill," the family said. They described him as "a generous, devoted family man that gave his children so much love, care and opportunity." The statement continued, "Greg loved the ocean and was known as a passionate swimmer, sports lover, dedicated worker and an all round generous, witty guy." The family added that they were grateful for the outpouring of support from the community.
O'Neill's death comes against a backdrop of an unusually high number of shark encounters in Australia this year. He was the fifth person to die in a shark attack across the country in 2024. Earlier in January, a 12-year-old boy was killed in a shark attack in Sydney Harbor. Between May and June, three spearfishing divers lost their lives in separate incidents.
Adding to the recent toll, a surfer suffered serious leg injuries in another shark attack on Monday, approximately 250 miles north of Perth. The incident bore similarities to other recent encounters in the region, raising renewed concerns among beachgoers and officials about water safety along Western Australia's coastline.
As authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding O'Neill's death, the community remembers a man whose family described as deeply loved by all who knew him.