Incident Report
Spearfisher Injured by Whitetip Reef Shark off Hayman Island
line reef, 50k off hayman island, Queensland·Australia
A 21-year-old male spearfisher sustained minor arm lacerations from a 1.5-meter whitetip reef shark while diving at Line Reef, approximately 50 kilometers off Hayman Island, Queensland, in January 1993.
Please take a moment to consider the human impact of this event on the victim and their loved ones. The data presented here documents real events that affected real people and families.
Incident Profile
Individual
Location
Description
In January 1993, a spearfishing incident occurred at Line Reef, located roughly 50 kilometers offshore from Hayman Island in Queensland, Australia. A 21-year-old male spearfisher encountered a whitetip reef shark measuring approximately 1.5 meters in length. The interaction resulted in minor lacerations to the victim's arm. The spearfisher survived the incident with non-fatal injuries. Whitetip reef sharks are relatively small shark species typically found in Indo-Pacific coral reef environments. While they are generally not considered highly dangerous to humans, incidents can occur when sharks are attracted to spearfishing activity, which involves struggling prey and associated sensory stimuli in the water.