Pictured: 17-year-old spear fisherman taken by a five metre Great White in Western Australia - as the hunt for predator begins

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Tributes have begun to flow in for a 17-year-old boy who died after being attacked by what authorities believe was a four to five-metre-long great white shark.

Jay Muscat, who police said was spearfishing at the time, was attacked at about 12:20pm local time on Monday at Cheynes Beach on the West Australian coast, around 70km east of Albany.

Police are still investigating the incident, but Western Australia's Department of Fisheries have confirmed a boy was bitten by a shark. Although police are yet to formally identify him, they have contacted his family and tributes across social media have begun to appear.

Jay Muscat was spearfishing when he was attacked by the shark at Cheynes Beach on the West Australian coast

One boy, who identified himself as Mr Muscat's best friend, wrote: 'I can only think about how much I loved this guy, from admiring the zero amount of f*** he gave about anything, living his life to the fullest and never letting anyone tell him what to do, him wearing his hawthorn shirt everywhere, his love for the water and fishing and where his heart was at most, spearing fishing [sic].

'This guy was always the life of the party and one of the greatest guys to be around.

'I love you so much Jay and I'll never forget you bro, I don't know how I'll get over this man or who I'll go fishing with or just be around all the time.

'I love you so f***ing much and I'll miss you for the rest of my life, rest in peace brother.' 

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Mr Muscat, 17,  died after being attacked by what authorities believe was a four to five-metre-long great white shark

The beach has been closed as police investigate the incident and a WA Department of Fisheries spokeswoman confirmed that drum lines have been deployed in the area in an attempt to catch the shark

A WA Department of Fisheries spokeswoman has confirmed that capture gear and baited lines have been deployed in the area in an attempt to catch the shark, which was likely to be a four to five-metre-long great white.

'At this stage it's highly likely that if we capture the shark that's likely to have been involved in the incident it will be destroyed,' Rick Fletcher, a Department of Fisheries spokesperson, said according to the ABC. 

The 17-year-old is the second Australian teen killed while spearfishing this month, following the death of Daniel Smith, 18, at Port Douglas in far north Queensland.

Iain Suthers, a professor in marine science from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science told Daily Mail Australia that spear fishers carry a higher risk of being attacked by sharks.

'All spear fishers are a little more exposed to risk even though the risk is still entirely low,' Mr Suthers said.

'Sharks do not just forage for food purely by smell or by sound; they also have these little sensory organs distributed along their lateral lines and under their snout – ampullae of Lorenzini.

'These sense electrical stimuli in the water and if the fish it still shaking and trembling – in close range of the shark - it adds to the attraction that sharks feel.

'It's the old expression of blood in the water. The safest thing is to spear the fish and immediately go back to your boat and put it in a bucket so you don't have the smell of blood and trembling fish around you.'

Mr Muscat is reported to have been approached by the shark while spearfishing with his friend Matt Pullella, at the popular Three Stripes spot, The West Australian reports.  

The 17-year-old is the second teen to be killed while spear fishing this month, following the death of 18-year-old Daniel Smith (pictured), at Port Douglas in far north Queensland. Iain Suthers, a professor from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science said that spear fishers carry a higher risk of being attacked by sharks

Department of Fisheries spokesperson Rick Fletcher said the great white shark could be injured as a spear was fired at it when it attacked Mr Muscat

Police said that Mr Pullella is not believed to have received any serious injuries. 

The shark, however, is believed to have been injured during the attack, when Mr Pullella fired a spear at it after it attacked Mr Muscat. 

'They had been spearfishing and it's our understanding they had already captured some fish,' Mr Fletcher said. 

'It appears the shark swam past one diver and bit the other on the leg.'

A nearby fisherman is believed to have then brought Mr Muscat's body to shore on a boat, shortly before police were contacted by someone claiming they found his body in the water. 

Cheynes Beach is home to a caravan park and surrounded by bushland. It is at maximum capacity, full of campers and families during the busy Christmas season. 

The Department of Fisheries said that beaches in the region are likely to remain closed tomorrow and urged locals and holiday makers to stay out of the water. 

Remote: Cheynes Beach is home to a caravan park, is surrounded by bushland and is often the subject of day trips for families at this time of year

Map: The attack occurred around 70km south of Albany, in WA's south

A monster 4.1m great white was snared in fishing nets off Cheynes Beach in April. 

Shark expert Dr Jonathan Werry told Daily Mail Australia white sharks 'certainly' move in the Albany region. 

Larger species, such as whaler sharks, also live in the area, Dr Werry said. 

Australia has witnessed a number of shark attacks this year, some fatal. 

In September, British expat Paul Wilcox, 50, was killed in a shark attack in Byron Bay, at the eastern-most point of New South Wales. 

Sean Pollard, 23, from Bunbury, WA, lost an arm and both hands when he came under attack by a great white in October. 

Premier Colin Barnett's government trialled using baited drum lines to cull sharks earlier this year. 

The policy was hugely controversial and resulted in 170 sharks being killed. The Environmental Protection Agency sunk the policy in a ruling earlier this year. 

The government is still able to use drum lines if they are threat to beachgoers, Mr Barnett was quoted saying in September. 

Drum lines: A tiger shark is pictured caught in the Margaret River region in February

170 sharks were killed over the course of the shark policy

The Barnett Government's attempts to kill the shark were hugely controversial