A 22-year-old snorkeller, spearfishing near Cape Town in South Africa, has been attacked and killed by a great white shark.

Press reports say the snorkeller, a university student, was at the surface and not far from shore when the attack occurred. One of several witnesses said the shark surged out of the sea and took the snorkeller almost whole, enveloping him up to his arms. It was estimated at some 6m long.

The victim’s spearfishing companion, another male university student, was left severely traumatised after the attack, and was reported to be receiving counselling along with the victim’s family.

Searches were carried out by helicopter, boats and divers from the National Sea Rescue Institute. No human remains were found, but items recovered included a sliced-through weightbelt, mask, fin, speargun, and a speared fish that had been tied to a line trailing from a surface buoy. An NSRI spokesman was reported to say that the shark may have been attracted initially by the dead fish.

In South Africa and elsewhere, a sizeable percentage of attacks, by great white and other sharks, have occurred during spearfishing. Dead or struggling fish are thought to draw the animals in. Dive operators commonly use chopped fish to lure great whites in towards dive cages.

Great whites have been protected in South Africa for 15 years but, according to Johannesburg journalist Fred Bridgland, "calls for a cull have been growing following the deaths of several South African swimmers and surfers this year".

Conservationists argue that sharks are already under threat from fishing or accidental catch, and that the key is to avoid higher-risk situations. Spearfishing is one and, in the case of great whites, going into the sea near colonies of seals – a staple diet – is another.

Related links
International Shark Attack File
Global Shark Attack File
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Shark kills snorkeller
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