A male swimmer has died after being attacked by a monster shark just metres from the shore at Sorrento Beach.

Emergency services were scouring the waters for hours after the horrific incident on Friday before the man was declared dead.

First responders rushed to the scene under priority-one conditions at about 10.15am following desperate calls for help near Raleigh Road, just south of Hillarys Boat Harbour.

Three St John WA ambulance crews, WA Police and Water Police officers converged on the shoreline, while the Surf Life Saving WA Westpac Lifesaver helicopter circled overhead tracking a reported “shark interaction”.

Witnesses described horrific scenes along the popular coastal strip, where a major search and rescue operation remains underway.

Surf Life Saving WA reported a shark interaction in the area at 10.20am.

A witness near the scene told PerthNow that the incident had unfolded near Raleigh Road, near popular waterfront spot Hillarys Boat Harbour.

The beach has been closed to swimmers and people in the area have been advised to take caution.

It comes just days after 56-year-old surfer Mel Ismail was mauled by a shark at Glenfield Beach in Geraldton, 420km north of Perth, on Monday.

Read what witnesses had to say on The West Australian.