Diver missing after being attacked by shark off coast of Hadera

A diver is missing after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of Hadera, police and paramedics say.

Authorities are conducting a search on the Hadera Stream beach, according to Magen David Adom emergency services. Police have closed the beach until further notice.

Israel’s Channel 12 reports that the shark also attacked a rescue diver searching for the man.

Graphic video:

דיווחים דרמטיים על צוללן שננשך ככה"נ על ידי כריש בחוף הים בחדרה. בנתיים הבחור לא נמצא. חיפושים כעת בחוף. ואווו pic.twitter.com/DfbABlFuj1

— שלמה ⛈️ מזג אוויר (@MezgAvirIL) April 21, 2025

The Hadera municipality’s Coastal Department says it is conducting searches by jet ski to locate the swimmer and will continue to update with further developments. Footage uploaded to social media also shows helicopters scanning the waters for the missing man.

The incident took place in an area of the beach where swimming was already prohibited.

Police search for a swimmer who was reportedly attacked by a shark off the coast of Hadera, on April 21, 2025. (Israel Police)

Police search for a swimmer who was reportedly attacked by a shark off the coast of Hadera, on April 21, 2025. (Israel Police)Dusky and sandbar sharks, which frequent the area during the period November to May, are not known to attack humans.

Over the past few days, fish die-offs in the Hadera Stream and the Alexander Stream nearby have attracted sharks to the shores of Hadera and Beit Yannai. The sharks eat dead, sick and wounded fish as they enter the sea, helping to keep natural waters clean.