Following the death of a swimmer after he was bitten to pieces during a horrific shark attack at Buchan Point near Little Bay Beach in Sydney's east, authorities have launched a search for the killer shark. The 4.4 m great white shark had attacked the victim vertically in the sea.
The grisly attack was captured on camera by onlookers who had gathered at the hilltop.
Victim Was a Certified Diving Instructor
The victim was identified as 35-year-old Simon Nellist. The British expat was a certified diving instructor and was training for a charity ocean swim this weekend, when he was chomped off by the shark.
Nellist's remains were found in water an hour after the attack. The emergency services who reached the spot at 4.30 pm found half a wetsuit. "Footage clearly shows a body, half a body being taken by a shark. They have found some remains," a police officer said.
The Daily Mail reported that Surf Life Saving CEO Steven Pearce said that shark attacked the victim just under a rock shelf. "We had our Life Saver helicopter on the scene within minutes, our base is on the headland above, and when they arrived there was nothing they could do," he said.
"Obviously there was evidence of what has been a horrific attack and then we had our Randwick lifeguards and lifesavers on jet-skis on the water very quickly, again, there was nothing they could do but patrol the area and try to locate the animal.
"Nine out of 10 times when we do patrols we see sharks, and they're often just swimming by... tragically this shark was intent on causing harm," he added.
Following the incident, the beaches in the Randwick council area were shut down as the authorities undertook the search for the killer shark.
Hunt For Shark Divides Social Media
Following the grisly incident there were several people who called for the culling of the shark. Australia is one of the only countries in the world to actively kill sharks.
However, there were several others who protested against the hunting of the killer shark involved in the incident. "Sydney, Australia. Fatal Great White Shark attack closes beaches as they search for the fish....I'm sorry, I've never understood this mentality. You are in the sharks habitat and then when something like this happens you hunt it and kill it," tweeted user.
"I feel very sorry for the man who died by the shark attack in Sydney but there's absolutely NO reason to hunt sharks now! The ocean is their home their territory you go willingly in there," wrote another.
"They are trying to hunt down and kill a Great White that killed a man near Sydney. Who trespassed on whose territory? Typical reaction. Jaws culture that even Benchley regretted writing. 100 million sharks are killed every year. I guess one more won't make much difference," read another tweet.
