Jay Muscat, 17, died Monday after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing. Photo courtesy of Jay Muscat/Facebook.

CHEYNES BEACH, Australia, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- An Australian teenager died Monday after he was attacked by what is thought to be a great white shark up to 16.5 feet long, officials said.

Jay Muscat, 17, was spearfishing with friend Matt Puella off Cheynes Beach on the southwestern coast of Western Australia when the pair were attacked by the shark.


Puella said the shark first attacked him, but he shot it in the mouth with a speargun.

"I witnessed one of my best friends be attacked and killed by a shark. The shark hit me first then attacked Jay," Puella wrote in a Facebook post, as quoted by Perth Now.

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"The shark turned and came for me. I pushed the speargun down its throat and fired the gun! This is something no one should ever have to see. RIP Jay Muscat. I will never forget!"

Muscat was pulled from the water by a fisherman. He was declared dead by police once he reached shore.

Officials with the Department of Fisheries planned to attempt to hunt the shark Tuesday.

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"One of them will be setting [drum] lines, the other will be doing patrols in the nearby regions," department spokesman Rick Fletcher told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"One of the people involved in the attack actually shot at the shark with a spear gun, so the shark may be injured so we are going to have a look to see if we can find the shark if that is the case.

"If we find the shark that's consistent with the serious threat policy and possibly involved in the attack, it, as per the policy, will be destroyed. That's the government policy. That is the reason we are doing it at the moment," he added.