This Tiny Beach Has Insanely Aggressive White Sharks (Video)

In this 15 February 2026 published video, shark scientist Kristian Parton analyses the strange fatal shark hotspot in Esperance, Western Australia, and he figures out whether the great white sharks here are really the most aggressive in the world.

Esperance is a coastal town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, approximately 720 km southeast of Perth. Known by its Traditional Custodians, the Wudjari Nyungar people, as Kepa Kurl (“where the waters lie like a boomerang”), the area is world-renowned for its turquoise waters and the whitest sand beaches in Australia. Esperance Bay is known for a high frequency of white shark encounters, including multiple fatal attacks since 2014, primarily targeting surfers and divers at spots like Kelp Beds and Wylie Bay. Recent fatal incidents include the 2020 deaths of Gary Johnson and Andrew Sharpe, with another fatal attack reported in 2025. 

The area is considered high-risk due to the presence of great white sharks, often drawn to the coastline. A whale carcass in late 2025 caused further concern by attracting sharks. Following the recent attacks, a 300m+ shark-proof barrier and swimming enclosure were installed at the town beach in 2021. While the area has a reputation for attacks, local efforts to improve safety include increased monitoring and the use of drones to spot sharks in the clear, shallow waters. 

https://youtu.be/P6HlOI8fEkQ

00:01 – Esperance
01:44 – Australia’s Dangerous Shark Species
02:21 – Western Australia’s Fatal Shark Attacks
03:12 – How The Shark Monitoring Network Work?
04:12 – Shark Attacks In Esperance
06:42 – Movements of Great White Sharks In Western Australia
07:44 – Esperance: A Haven For Great White Sharks
08:35 – The Biggest White Sharks In Australia
09:07 – Kelp Beds In Esperance
09:36 – How Do Great White Sharks Use Kelp Forests? 
11:17 – Topography As Shark Attack Factor
11:47 – Esperance’s Coastline Topography
12:30 – How many Kelp Forests Are In Esperance? 
13:05 – Surfers In Esperance
13:45 – Are The Great White Sharks More Aggressive In Esperance?
14:12 – Great White Sharks As Opportunistic Predators
14:38 – What Are The Western Australian Government Going To Do?