The victim was bitten on the neck by the animal on Saturday afternoon off the coast of Humpy Island, on the east coast of the country, Queensland state emergency services said.
The 40-year-old was a pastor in the town of Rockhampton. Authorities were unable to confirm whether he was spear fishing at the time. Photographs posted by the victim on social media in 2021 showed him on board a boat in a diving suit, holding up large fish.
Humpy Island, which is within the Keppel Bay Islands National Park in the Great Barrier Reef, has a popular campground that provides easy access to the reefs for diving and snorkeling.
The last fatal shark attack in the country was in December 2023, when a 15-year-old boy was killed in South Australia.
More than 1,200 incidents involving sharks have been recorded in Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 resulted in fatalities, according to national data. The most serious bites are caused by white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks.
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