The Department of Fisheries headed out at first light this morning to hunt for the shark which attacked 29-year-old Ben Gerring yesterday afternoon.
The Department will set shark capture gear at SurfBreak Lookout, also known as Gearies, near Falcon, after they determined that a serious threat to public safety exists.
Mr Gerring is being treated at Royal Perth Hospital after he lost his leg to a shark before 4pm on Tuesday. He remains in a critical condition.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWThe shark is believed to be a three metre long great white shark.
Surfers who pulled Mr Gerring from the water yesterday were watching fisheries officers search for the shark this morning.
Mandurah’s surfing community is notoriously tight knit, but they broke rank long enough to tell us that Mr Gerring is expecting a child with his partner Jasmine Boyer. They said their thoughts were with the couple.
The beach around Gearies will remain closed until at least late this afternoon.
Mr Gerring was surfing with about 20 others when he was bitten below the knee just before 4pm.
Two ground crews were at the scene and the rescue helicopter landed on the beach.
Paramedics worked on the Mr Gerring for about 15 minutes, before they took him up to a waiting ambulance.
The ambulance left for Peel Health Campus with lights flashing but no siren.
The surfers who had been in the water with the Mr Gerring at the time of the attack were visibly distressed.
One told Community News the Mr Gerring had lost his leg below the knee.
It was “big enough to take his f***ing leg off”, he said.
Pro-surfer, 14-year-old April McPherson, was surfing next to Mr Gerring when he was attacked.
She was upset and led away by family before the injured surfer was brought to the waiting ambulance.
Another eyewitness said the shark had been hanging around for about three days.
Following the attack the surfers ran to Falcon Beach Bay Café to get ice for the Mr Gerring’s leg.
Earlier yesterday Surf Lifesaving WA reported a 3.5m shark at a beach in Dawesville.
The City of Mandurah closed Falcon beach for 1km in each direction following the attack.