Police shot at shark after it attacked and killed broome man at cable beach

A father-of-three was fatally mauled by a shark at Cable Beach in Broome on Sunday while bodyboarding 30 to 40 metres offshore. Charles Cernobori, 59, was pulled out of the water around

8.45am by a couple nearby on the beach who saw thrashing in the water and ran to help. He is understood to have suffered serious injuries to his hand and thigh. Kimberley District Office

Police Inspector Gene Pears described the incident as tragic, and praised the couple who entered the water to try and rescue Mr Cernobori. "It's a tragic incident, very unexpected,

a person going out to have a bit of fun in the water," he said. "It's tragic for the family, friends and people of Broome. "We live in Broome, it's a close

community, a tight community, like other places around the state, particularly remote. "We've had a hard year, with some incidents up here. At the same time, this is when

communities like Broome shine. We'll pull together ... and try and recover from what is a very sad day." Police unsuccessfully shot at the shark in an effort to deal with the

threat posed by the animal, which remained in the area close to shore for about half an hour after the attack. Inspector Pears said there had been crocodiles and irukandji jellyfish in the

water, but a shark attack was very unexpected. He said the water was very murky and the type of shark responsible for the attack had not been confirmed. The last fatal shark attack in the

area occurred 27 years ago. Mr Cernobori, a Broome local originally from South Australia, was in the water north of the Cable Beach rocks when he was attacked. Beach Hut equipment hire owner

Daryl Roberson was at the beach for the last day of his trading season when he heard sirens wailing as multiple police cars sped on to the beach in front of Cable Beach Resort and travelled

about two kilometres north to the waters edge. He said an ambulance followed shortly after but left without any sirens flashing and he later learned it had been a fatal shark attack, with

the shark still roaming the waters. "It was just a devastating thing to have happened," he said. "It was very quick. "It's a one-of-a-kind [attack], I would think. I

remember a pearl diver [more than] 20 years ago got killed and we've had a couple nips here and there from a couple of reef sharks when people have gotten too close but nothing like

this." He said it was most likely a tiger shark as they were common there, attracted when offshore winds pulled lots of tiny bait fish close to shore. He said a hive of fish activity

had been witnessed in recent days. "There's been a lot of fish schools very close to the shore, the bait was everywhere - big schools of mackerel and tuna - and unfortunately where

there are big fish, even bigger ones follow." Francesca Rossi, who was at the beach at the time, said she learnt the "very sad" news from a local ranger after seeing and

hearing police cars swarm the area as a helicopter flew overhead. "A ranger told me what happened and that the beach was closed," she said. "I heard it was a 55-year-old man,

swimming alone and that he'd been bitten on his thigh and lost his hand, but unfortunately died. It's very sad." Premier Mark McGowan said the attack was a "very sad and

traumatic situation" and passed on his condolences to the victim's family. "It's a traumatic and unexpected event and so I'd just like to pass all of our thoughts on

to the people who love the man who has passed away," he said. "For people who were present, it was a very, very serious set of events. I thank all of those people who attempted to

rescue the man in the surf. "A very sad day for Broome, a very sad day for his family and no doubt there's a lot of grieving people at the moment." The beach was not

patrolled by surf lifesavers at the time as their season ended in early November. Shire rangers worked with Department of Fisheries to close Broome's beaches. North of the rocks, Cable

Beach and Gantheuame Beach are all closed. Authorities urged people to stay out of the water and not travel to the beaches. Surf Life Saving WA lifesaving coordinator Nick Pavy said

lifeguard services contracted by the Shire of Broome ended at Cable Beach on November 8 and lifesaver services from the Broome SLSC earlier in October. "SLSWA is very mindful of the

effect these types of incidents have on the WA community," he said. "Particularly those in regional areas where there is a close community network and the area depends on tourism

typically linked with the coastline. "We remind people to choose a patrolled beach where they can and swim between the red and yellow flags under the watchful eye of our lifesavers and

lifeguards, to swim with a friend, and always to keep an eye on children around the water." Mr Pavy strongly encourage beachgoers to visit mybeach.com.au and follow @slswa on Twitter

for up-to-date beach hazard information including shark sightings. It has been just six weeks since the last fatal shark attack off the WA coast, after surfer Andrew Sharpe disappeared at a

popular surf break at Esperance on the state’s south coast on October 9. Authorities believe Mr Sharpe was taken by a shark after widespread reports of a sighting at the Kelp Beds at Wylie

Beach in Esperance. Despite a three-day search, his body was never found. His surfboard and parts of his wetsuit were later recovered. Lauren Pilat is a part-time journalist at WAtoday, with

a special focus on social justice issues, education, and breaking news.Connect via email. Aja Styles is a senior writer for WAtoday and 2021 Arthur Lovekin winner for her investigations

into higher education. Aja also served as a national digital Culture editor at The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.