Swimmer, 38, mauled to death by 13ft great white shark after being attacked in popular tourist hotspot

A MAN has died after being mauled by a shark at a popular Australian holiday island.

The 38-year-old was mauled by the beast at around 10am on Saturday, at Rottnest Island, near Perth.

A frantic emergency response was launched as the man was transported by boat to the Geordie Bay jetty.

A crowd of first responders looked on as paramedics and police performed CPR.

But the man was unable to be revived, a police spokesperson said in a statement.

“WA Police will prepare a report for the Coroner,” they added.

The man’s body was mounted onto a stretcher and then transported into the back of an ambulance.

Separate footage from the scene showed a man holding a spearfishing gun in a Water Police boat, tethered to a smaller boat.

A rescue helicopter arrived at the island, 19km off the coast of Fremantle.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said it received a report that the man was bitten by a 13ft shark.

Surf Life Saving WA said on social media a 16ft white shark was spotted at about 10am this morning 80 metres off shore.

DPIRD urged people to take additional caution around the Horseshoe Reef and Marjorie Bay areas.

A patrol vessel will be out on the water monitoring the area, they added.

Beach goers have been asked to report any shark sightings to authorities.

Rottnest Island is a protected nature reserve and popular tourist destination.

It comes after a spate of shark attacks across the Australian coast this year.

Four people were bitten in a vicious rampage near Sydney in the space of just 48 hours in January.

The attacks claimed the life of 12-year-old Nico Antic who died in hospital a week after he was bitten by a suspected bull shark on January 18.