A 31-year-old Australian was killed by a shark Tuesday as he surfed in the early morning near Gracetown, 270 kilometres south of the west coast city of Perth, dpa reported.
Despite the severity of his injuries, the local man made it back to the beach and an ambulance was called.
He was pronounced dead at Margaret River Hospital.
"We got a call from someone who saw a fellow lose his board but then lost sight of the guy," Gracetown shop owner Cassandra Fisher told national broadcaster ABC. "I did go down there and actually saw the shark in the water myself."
Six years ago another local surfer was taken by a shark at Gracetown.