A man was attacked off Michaelmas Island,which is at the mouth of Frenchman Bay,Albany,Western Australia.(Picture: Shutterstock / Hans Wismeijer)

A man has been killed by a shark while he was spearfishing in southwest Australia,marking the third deadly shark attack in three weeks.

The 35-year-old was using an old fishing method that involves diving with a sharp tool to catch fish when he was attacked by a shark that is thought to have been 4.5 metres (15 ft) long.

The man,who has not been named,was diving with his family members off an island near Perth called Michaelmas Island on Saturday morning.

It’s not clear what species the shark was,and several different breeds and reach up to the impressive size of 15 feet,including Great White Sharks.

In the past three weeks,three people died in separate shark attacks in Australia while spearfishing. Four have died in total this year. The first was Nico Antic who was just 12 years old.

He was swimming with his friends at Nielsen Park in Sydney when he was attacked by what is thought to be a bull shark in January.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Nico suffered serious injuries to both of his legs,and was only able to survive after the other children bravely dragged him out of the water and onto some nearby rocks. But he later died in hospital.While shark encounters occur more frequently in Australian waters than in many parts of the world,deadly incidents remain relatively rare.After the attack,the 35-year-old spearfisher was transported by boat back to Albany,where emergency medical personnel were waiting. Despite extensive efforts by paramedics,he could not be saved.Following the incident,sea rescue authorities temporarily closed access to Albany Marina while emergency operations were underway.Western Australia Premier Roger Cook offered condolences to the victim’s loved ones and those affected by the tragedy.LBC reported that he said: ‘I am deeply saddened to hear of this morning’s fatal shark attack in Albany.‘This is a tragedy and my thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends,as well as the first responders.‘I know members of the local community will wrap their arms around them,and I urge those who are impacted to reach out for support.’Police said a report on the incident would be prepared for the coroner,according to local media reports.Authorities have advised residents and visitors to exercise heightened caution around Michaelmas Island and to comply with any beach and waterway closures in the area.Less than two weeks ago,a 39-year-old man from Cairns was also mauled on the Great Barrier Reef while he was spearfishing with friends.On May 16 at a coral reef off Rottnest Island,near the south-west coast of Western Australia,38 year old  Steve Mattabonni from Perth was killed by a 16ft white shark.Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .For more stories like this,check our news page.