Fatal Incident
Fatal Tiger Shark Incident During Spearfishing at Opal Reef
port douglas, opal reef, Queensland·Australia
A fatal shark incident occurred in December 2004 at Opal Reef near Port Douglas, Queensland, when a 38-year-old male spearfisher was attacked by a tiger shark, sustaining major lacerations to the thigh.
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Incident Profile
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Description
In December 2004, a fatal shark incident occurred at Opal Reef, located near Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia. A 38-year-old male spearfisher was attacked by a tiger shark while engaged in spearfishing activities in the open ocean environment. The attack resulted in major lacerations to the victim's thigh and proved fatal. Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) are large apex predators found in tropical and subtropical waters and are known to inhabit reef systems such as those found at Opal Reef. This incident underscores the inherent risks associated with spearfishing activities in shark-inhabited waters and remains part of the documented record of shark-human interactions in Australian waters.