<p><br /> An Australian man has died after being attacked by a shark off the southwestern coast of the country.<br /> </p><p><br /> The 31-year-old was attacked while surfing alone at a beach near Gracetown, about 175 miles south of the Western Australia state capital of Perth.<br /> </p><p><br /> A police spokesman said that the man received life-threatening injuries and died later at Margaret River Hospital.<br /> </p><p><br /> Witness Rob Alder said that he and another person pulled the victim from the water and tried to resuscitate him.<br /> </p><p><br /> "It looked like it was a fairly severe bite. I would imagine that it was a shark that mistook him for a seal," Alder said.<br /> </p><p><br /> An official from the state Department of Fisheries, said officers would try to determine if the shark was still in the area, what species it was and whether it posed a risk.<br /> </p><p><br /> Great white sharks are common off that part of the coast.<br /> </p><p><br /> In 2004, another local surfer died after a shark attack in the same area.<br /> </p>
