Perth shark attack: British grandmother Doreen Collyer named as victim

Doreen Collyer was Scuba diving off the coast of Perth when she was attacked by a 16 ft great white shark

Doreen Collyer, 60, and her husband David, originally from Chester, moved to Australia around five years ago (Edith Cowan University)

The 60-year-old woman who was killed by a shark in Australia has been named as Doreen Collyer, a British grandmother and University lecturer living in Australia.

Ms Collyer was Scuba diving off the coast of Perth on Sunday when she was attacked by a 16 ft (five metre) great white shark, ABC reported.

She was an advanced open water diver and a nursing lecturer at Edith Cowan University. She and her husband David, originally from Chester, moved to Australia around five years ago.

Mr Collyer said in a statement: "Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her. She was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife."

Edith Cowan University's acting vice chancellor, Arshad Omari, described her as "a much-loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher".

Dozens of Ms Collyer's colleagues, students and friends paid tribute to her on social media.

"RIP Doreen, you were an amazing lecturer, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge," Kelly Mills wrote on Facebook, while Nikki Vickers said: "Condolences and deepest sympathy to all family, friends and colleagues from ECU Nursing and Midwifery.

The beaches and water in the Minidarie area, where the attack took place, have been closed to the public. The Department of Fisheries in Australia have issued an order to deploy capture gear to catch the shark.

It is the second fatal attack to hit Australia in less than a week.

On Tuesday, a surfer's leg was bitten off by a shark about 60 miles south of where Ms Collyer was attacked.

The surfer, Ben Gerring, later died of his injuries.

Sharks attacked a record 98 people around the world in 2015, researchers said, while 13 people have died from bites in Western Australia since 2000.

Additional reporting by PA