Melbourne Surfer Presumed Dead After Shark Attack Near Esperance
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
A Melbourne man is presumed dead after a shark attack in chest-deep water off Western Australia’s south coast, with police confirming the search has now become a recovery operation.
Steven Payne, 37, was surfing at Wharton Beach near Esperance on Monday when witnesses reported seeing a large shark attack the man in front of horrified onlookers, including his partner.
According to witnesses, screams were heard and everyone quickly exited the water. Only a surfboard remained, floating approximately 30 metres from the shore. The water next to it was dark, with a shark’s fin circling around.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed that drone footage from the scene captured a shark and large amounts of blood in the water shortly after the attack, which occurred around midday on Monday.
The family have been notified, and authorities suspect it will be a recovery operation, Blanch stated.
More than 24 hours into the search, authorities have only recovered Payne’s surfboard, which had visible shark bite marks. The beach remains closed as police, Marine Rescue WA, and State Emergency Service personnel continue searching the area.
Senior Sergeant Chris Taylor told reporters that Payne’s partner witnessed the entire attack. The partner observed what happened, which was tragic, and one can imagine their emotional state.
The couple had been only five weeks into a planned six-month holiday around Australia when the tragedy occurred.
Rising Concerns in the Esperance Community
This marks the fourth suspected fatal shark attack in the Esperance area since 2017, leaving the local community reeling.
Locals have called for more proactive measures from authorities, noting that great white sharks are regularly sighted patrolling local beaches.
Locals highlighted that great white sightings occur daily along local beaches. The community has grown increasingly frustrated and is calling for meaningful action, believing their safety concerns have not received an adequate response from authorities.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) confirmed in a statement that they conduct shark tagging activities off the Esperance coast each summer to coincide with seal pupping season. Between November 2024 and February 2025, nine white sharks were tagged, including six off the coast of Esperance.
Since 2009, DPIRD has tagged 206 white sharks in WA waters and installed shark detector beacons at three beaches in the region.
History of Attacks
The Esperance region has experienced several fatal and non-fatal shark attacks in recent years:
- In 2017, teenage surfer Laeticia Brouwer was killed by a suspected great white while surfing with her father
- In January 2020, diver Gary Johnson, 57, was killed by a great white while scuba diving with his wife
- In October 2020, surfer Andrew Sharpe’s body was never found after he was attacked by a shark
Non-fatal incidents include a 20-year-old who was bitten while sitting in an inflatable pool ring offshore in 2022, Sean Pollard who lost his left arm and right hand in 2014, and teenager Zac Golebiowski who lost his leg after being bitten while surfing in 2006.
Steven Payne’s family is travelling to Wharton Beach as the investigation is passed on to the coroner. The beach remains closed.
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