Coroner's Finding: STEHBENS Jarrod David

23y · Male·injuries sustained in a shark attack

A 23-year-old research assistant died from injuries sustained in a Great White shark attack while conducting a University of Adelaide diving expedition in the Gulf of St Vincent. The inquest examined whether risk assessment for shark attack was adequate and whether electronic shark repellent devices should have been used. While the attack risk was statistically low, the coroner found shark repellent devices do provide some deterrent effect and should be considered part of occupational diving safety. Key failings included: the University's Shark Shield devices were not known to divers, no formal policy mandated their use, and supervisory staff held unfounded beliefs about their ineffectiveness. The coroner did not definitively determine if a functioning Shark Shield would have prevented this attack, but recommended shark repellent devices be actively encouraged rather than discouraged in University diving operations.