Australians in a remote coastal town have detailed the tragic final moments of a young surfer attacked by a shark as the search for his body continues.
Port Lincoln man Lance Appleby, 28, was attacked by the shark at Granites Beach, about 700 kilometers from Adelaide, shortly after 7pm on Thursday.
Family friend Jeff Schmucker recalled the seasoned surfer’s horrifying final moments when he revealed he was dragged underwater by a great white shark.
“He caught a wave, got out of it and proceeded to paddle back, and was attacked,” Schmucker said. 7NEWS.
A man on a jet ski ran out to help Mr Appleby but could only find his board.
“He confirmed that the board had a bite mark on the underside and that the rope was cut in half,” Mr Schmucker said.
The local fisherman said the close-knit community had been hit “very hard” by the attack.
A fisherman alerted locals about an “aggressive” great white shark at Granite Beach on social media just hours before Appleby was attacked.
Experienced surfer Lance Appleby, 28 (pictured), was attacked by a shark at Granites Beach, about 700 kilometers from Adelaide, shortly after 7pm on Thursday.
Family friend Jeff Schmucker (pictured) said Appleby caught a wave, flipped and was attacked while paddling back to Granites Beach on Thursday.
It is not known whether Appleby was aware of the warning.
Deputy Police Commissioner John De Candia confirmed on Friday that a report would be prepared for the coroner as the search for Appleby’s body continues.
“It is a very sad and tragic circumstance for the family,” he said at a press conference.
‘Any such incident, such a tragedy, affects a wide range of people… immediate family, friends, work colleagues, colleagues, it affects the police (and) other emergency services who had to attend as well.
“Any death, in these circumstances, is absolutely tragic and has a huge impact on many people.”
Locals are calling for the shark to be hunted in lieu of Mr Appleby’s death.
“If they want to do something about it, they should do it now,” Mr. Schmucker said.
“The fishery has the power to issue a destruction order, but the government has no guts.”
Desperate search continues for Appleby’s body after horrific shark attack
Mr Appleby was a keen surfer and played for Marble Range Football Club.
He had traveled to Europe just several months before the attack and posted photographs on Facebook of his visits to London and Amsterdam.
The search for Appleby follows the death of Tod Gendle, who was killed by a four-metre great white shark while surfing at the same beach in October 2023.
Schmucker, who raced on a jet ski to try to save the surfer, said he saw Gendle being dragged underwater by the huge shark.
Schmucker said he was attacked and surrounded several times by a “large female” shark.