Greg James O’Neill, a 63-year-old grandfather-to-be, was killed Friday in a suspected great white shark attack while swimming off Sorrento Beach in Perth, Western Australia.
The attack unfolded in full view of beach walkers and swimmers at Sorrento Beach in Perth’s northern suburbs. Boats and helicopters searched the ocean off Sorrento Beach in Perth’s northern suburbs after the late-morning attack, a police statement said.
Police were confident the swimmer died as a result of the attack,
the statement said. Police stand on Sorrento Beach in Perth, Australia on Friday after a suspected fatal shark attack. A police boat and helicopter patrol Sorrento Beach in Perth, Australia, on Friday after a suspected fatal shark attack.
Witness Accounts Detail the Sudden Attack off Sorrento Beach
Victim Greg O’Neill had been swimming with a now traumatized friend when the predator struck. A witness to the attack, identified only as Darrel, or Darrel Haythornthwaite, told Nine Network television about the companion’s reaction. I was just shocked. I mean, I feel for his mate. He's apologized and said 'I didn't save my mate,'
Darrel told Nine. I said 'You couldn't have done anything,'
Darrel added.
Witness Ingrid Mitchell, who swims at the beach daily, said to Nine: How do you just watch someone be mauled to pieces in front of you, basically? It's pretty hard.
Witnesses reported seeing blood in the water. My friend said, 'Jac, I think there's been a shark attack,' and I looked out to the ocean and I could see a pool of blood,
beach walker Jacqui Rapaic told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Local Ryan Rowe told The West Australian newspaper that he reached the beach soon afterward and was told by an onlooker someone had been bitten by a shark.
I couldn't believe there was that much blood (that had) come out of a human body,
Rowe said.
Family Tribute and Ministerial Order for Catch-and-Kill
In the wake of the tragedy, O’Neill’s family told ABC News Australia, 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.
Relatives added, He was a generous, devoted family man that gave his children so much love, care and opportunity. Greg loved the ocean and was known as a passionate swimmer, sports lover, dedicated worker and an all round generous, witty guy,
noting that The kind thoughts and support from everyone who has reached out are deeply appreciated.
The severity of the incident prompted Australia’s fisheries minister, Jackie Jarvis, to make the rare call for a catch-and-kill of the great white, which is a protected species. 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,
she said.
Rising Fatalities Across Australian Waters in 2026
There have been at least five fatal shark attacks in Australia this year. A 12-year-old boy died after he was bitten by a shark while swimming in Sydney Harbour in January. The attack that killed the boy was one of four recorded in the span of two days, which prompted officials to close dozens of the city’s beaches. Three divers were also fatally mauled in separate incidents between May and June — two in Western Australia and the third in Queensland. Also in June, a woman was mauled by a shark at one of Australia’s most popular beaches in Sydney, a schoolteacher who last month recalled swinging a “left hook” at the predator before it dragged her underwater.
Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks a year since 2000, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, a partnership including Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Flinders University and the New South Wales state government. The International Shark Attack File, a database of global shark attacks maintained by the University of Florida, has recorded more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, including more than 250 fatal incidents. Such incidents have become more common as the population has grown and activities such as surfing and scuba diving have gained popularity.
Authorities closed the beach to swimmers. In a separate shark attack, a surfer sustained a serious leg injury Monday near Geraldton, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Perth.
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