Tiger sharks, responsible for a large percentage of fatal attacks on humans, have a reputation for eating anything and are known to prey on juvenile humpbacks or adults in distress.
Shark Bay has one of the largest adult populations of the apex predator tiger shark, which can grow up to six-and-a-half metres long and weight 520 kilograms.
Jay Cox, cruise operator for Eco Abrolhos told Daily Mail Australia it was the closest he had ever gotten to that amount of tiger sharks.
"We had passengers from Perth, Melbourne and Sydney - they said it was the most amazing thing they'd ever seen in their life," Mr Cox said.
"We went round for two hours right up close and personal you could reach over and touch them (the sharks). They were very docile and very well fed, we counted around 70 tiger sharks of all shapes and sizes. Some of them were up to six metres long."
He said it was likely the whale had accidentally followed a channel into the shallow water, became breached and then drowned, before being attacked by the school of sharks.