Fatal shark attack on swimmer at Woorim Beach, Bribie Island

The victim, Charlize Zmuda, was 17 years old — a child — fatally attacked while swimming at an unpatrolled stretch of a beach equipped with shark-control drumlines, and the incident received wide, well-sourced national and international coverage across multiple major outlets.

On February 3, 2025, a fatal shark attack occurred at Woorim Beach on Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia. A 17-year-old female swimmer was attacked while in the water approximately 100 meters offshore near Rickman Parade, an unpatrolled section of beach. Emergency services were alerted at around 4:45–5:00 p.m. local time. The Queensland Ambulance Service responded to what was described as a serious shark-bite incident. The victim sustained severe bite wounds to her arm and upper body. Witnesses and paramedics made recovery efforts after she was brought back to shore, but she was pronounced dead at the beach shortly after 5:00 p.m. The specific shark species involved was not identified by authorities. Following the incident, Woorim Beach was closed by Surf Life Saving Queensland. The beach is an open surf environment where shark-control drumlines are deployed as part of local shark management protocols. This incident represents a rare but severe outcome of human-shark interaction in Australian waters.