Social media spreads shark alert
Families were enjoying perfect holiday conditions at the picturesque beachside haven of Cheynes Beach when the peace was shattered by the devastating news of a shark attack.
As children splashed in crystal-clear waters at the main beach, word filtered across the tourist spot and was greeted by a mixture of horror and confusion.
On the other side of the protected beach at a popular rocky outcrop known as Three Stripes, a fisherman dragged critically injured teenager Jay Muscat on to his small boat and rushed him to a nearby boat ramp to meet paramedics.
The fewer than a dozen fishermen and swimmers were confronted by the terrible sight of the teenager on the back of the boat but they soon realised he could not be saved.
"At first it was real panicky," one witness said.
But panic became shock and horror as the reality of his death set in.
Matt Pullella, the friend who shot the shark with his speargun during the attack, was uninjured but clearly distressed as he walked around, trying to explain what had happened.
The pair went spearfishing a few hundred metres offshore at Three Stripes after heading out in a dinghy.
A regular surfer and fishermen said the area around Cheynes Beach was "littered with sharks".
"There is a seal colony off Bald Island and that is pretty much a breeding ground for sharks," he said.
"I have seen a couple at Three Stripes.
"I have seen two off the point while surfing and I have seen them off main beach."
Tanya Inman, a mother whose children knew Jay, said they swam at a beach nearby after the attack because of the delay in being warned.
It wasn't until Jay's friends began posting messages on Facebook that many people knew what was happening.
Mrs Inman, an administrative assistant at Albany Senior High School, from which Jay recently graduated, said he was a good boy who was mad about fishing.
"He had a big group of friends and he was a likable, cheeky teenager and young man," Mrs Inman said.
"He was like a man child, a man way before his time who was loud, cheeky and active.
"There wasn't a malicious bone in his body.
"He was just always having fun and seeing what he could get away with."
It is a remote and often deserted coastal hideaway but at this time of year, Cheynes Beach is buzzing with activity.
With its clear water and pristine white sand, the beach is a major drawcard for Albany residents and tourists come summer.
It is a well-known fishing and camping spot, which is set against the backdrop of Waychinicup National Park, about 70km east of Albany.
The unspoilt beach stretches for kilometres.
Albany mayor Dennis Wellington described it as a "hugely popular" spot.
"There are a lot of people out there and the weather has been terrific," he said.
The popular rock jumping spot Three Stripes - which is reached via a walking track - was the site of another tragic death in June last year.
Albany boy Ben White, 15, was dragged unconscious from the ocean on to the rocky outcrop after he failed to surface.
A police officer kept a vigil over his body in stormy weather until State Emergency Service volunteers and police could abseil down a 20m cliff to retrieve it.
Signs notifying holiday makers of the beach closure yesterday were erected across the caravan park and at the entrance to the shop.
But some people returned to the caravan park in the early afternoon oblivious of the attack, having gone fishing and swimming up the coast.
At Three Stripes, families fished off the rocks as Department of Fisheries set three separate baits 100m from the popular jumping spot in an effort to catch the shark.
As the sun set, families and beachgoers sat on the sand and looked out across the water as Fisheries continued to patrol the area.
Back in Albany, people started to leave flowers at the doorstep of the family business as news filtered through the city.
