Shark Attack Hospitalizes WA Surfer Mel Ismail, Closing Glenfield Beach After 9:45 a.m. Bite
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Sep 14
Shark Attack Hospitalizes WA Surfer Mel Ismail, Closing Glenfield Beach After 9:45 a.m. Bite
3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Sep 14
Summary
Mel Ismail, a surfer in his 50s and a DFES staff member, was taken to Geraldton Health Campus in serious but stable condition after a shark bit him at Glenfield Beach north of Geraldton.
Authorities said the attack happened about 9:45 a.m. while he was surfing; police and fisheries officers removed his badly damaged board for testing to identify the shark species.
Glenfield Beach, about 13km north of Geraldton, was closed and residents were told to avoid the area as DPIRD worked with local authorities on the response.
The attack quickly reignited debate over WA's shark mitigation strategy, with opposition MP Kirrilee Warr demanding a review and Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis defending the state's protocols.
Western Australia has already recorded two fatal shark attacks in 2026, while DPIRD said no shark activity had been reported to the City of Geraldton in the previous 30 days.