Hard Hat Diver Killed in Suspected Shark Attack, Aru Islands

On April 27, 1906, a tragic incident occurred at the pearling grounds near the Aru Islands (also known as Arrou Islands) in the Arafura Sea, part of the Maluku Province in eastern Indonesia. The victim was conducting hard hat diving operations, a common practice on the pearling grounds of the region during this era. The diver was submerged and actively working when the incident occurred. Without warning, his life-line—the critical rope connecting him to his tender on the surface—was suddenly wrenched from the tender's hands with violent force. Moments later, the air-pipe supplying oxygen to the diver also parted under extreme strain, severing the diver's only means of survival at depth. Realizing the emergency, other divers immediately conducted a search of the area. They recovered portions of the diving dress but found no trace of the diver's body. Given the violent nature of the life-line and air-pipe separation, along with the complete absence of remains, observers at the scene concluded the diver had likely been attacked by a shark. The shark species involved was never identified. This incident remains a notable early record of a fatal shark encounter involving a commercial diver in Southeast Asian waters. The circumstances—the sudden severing of equipment under force and the absence of remains—suggest a large predator was involved, though the exact sequence of events could not be definitively determined.