Gas Company Worker Passes Away Following Shark Attack

In a statement posted on its social media page, Amplitude Energy announced that one of its workers had passed away following a shark attack off the Perth coast in Australia on September 18.

The worker was named in the statement as Greg O’Neill. He was an Operations Geologist, the statement revealed.

“Amplitude Energy is deeply saddened by the passing of Greg O’Neill following the tragic shark attack off the Perth coast on Friday,” the statement noted.

“Greg worked with Amplitude Energy over many years as an Operations Geologist and was a highly respected member of our team,” the statement added.

“Throughout his time with us, Greg made a significant contribution to the business, providing calm, professional leadership during some of the most important and challenging wells we have drilled,” it continued.

“His expertise, dedication and steady approach earned the respect of colleagues across the organization and the broader industry,” it said.

“Our thoughts are with Greg’s family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time. On behalf of everyone at Amplitude Energy, we extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences,” it noted.

In a statement posted on its website on Tuesday PESA, which describes itself as a non-profit association of individuals involved in the energy geosciences industry, said it extended its “deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Greg O’Neill, who tragically lost his life in a shark attack off Sorrento Beach on Friday”.

“Greg was a highly experienced petroleum geoscientist who made a significant contribution to the Australian oil and gas industry over a career spanning more than three decades,” the PESA statement said.

“His experience encompassed wellsite and operations geology, petrophysics, and exploration and development geology, with work across Australia, Southeast Asia, and West Africa,” it added.

“In recent years, Greg was closely associated with Amplitude Energy and established Geosphere West, through which he devoted considerable effort to compiling, interpreting, and making accessible the extensive petroleum well datasets of the Perth and Canning Basins,” it continued.

“His work brought together decades of geological and petrophysical information, providing a valuable resource for those continuing to explore and understand Western Australia’s petroleum basins,” it noted.

“Greg will be remembered within the petroleum community for his extensive knowledge, practical experience and passion for the geology of Western Australia,” it said.

“His family described him as a devoted family man, passionate swimmer, sports lover, dedicated worker and generous, witty person. PESA extends its sincere sympathies to Greg’s family, friends and colleagues at this very difficult time. He will be greatly missed by the many people who knew and worked with him,” PESA concluded in its statement.

According to the Australian Shark Incident Database (ASID) annual report for 2025, which is hosted on the Taronga Conservation Society website, the ASID investigated 25 reported incidents of shark-human interaction in 2025. Of these, five incidents were fatal,15 resulted in injuries, and five resulted in no injuries, the report showed.

“The total of 25 incidents reported for 2025 was slightly below the decadal mean for all cases in the 2020s,” the report stated.

“The total of five fatalities in 2025 was slightly above the decadal mean for fatalities,” it added.

A table in the report displaying mean annual cases by decade shows a rising trend from the 1970s to the 2020s. The mean stood at 3.6 in the 70s, 6.5 in the 80s, 8.2 in the 90s, 16.4 in the 00s, 23.3 in the 10s, and 27.0 in the 20s, the report revealed.

A table in the report displaying mean fatalities by decade shows a rising trend from the 90s to the 20s. This mean stood at 0.9 in the 90s, 1.4 in the 00s, 2.1 in the 10s, and 3.8 in the 20s, the report highlighted.

Amplitude Energy sources, develops, and produce domestic natural gas in Australia, the company’s site outlines.

“Gas is needed to bridge the gap between renewable energy supply and customer demand in Australia’s energy transition,” the company’s site states.

“Our gas production is 100 percent dedicated to the domestic Southeast Australian energy market, delivering the energy needed by homes, manufacturers, and power generators,” it adds.

The company points out on its site that it explores for, develops, and produces natural gas exclusively for Australia’s east coast market in the Otway and Gippsland Basins of Victoria, Australia and notes that, in the Cooper Basin onshore in South Australia, the company is a joint venture partner in low-cost oil production.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com