Heartbreak for Cardijn College student Khai Cowley after Ethel Beach shark tragedy

The outpouring of grief over the death of the Adelaide teenager has continued with new tributes from a best friend and his school.

Khai Cowley, 15, was fatally attacked by a shark at Ethel Beach in South Australia's Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, on the York Peninsula. Picture: Facebook

One of Khai Cowley’s “best friends” has added a touching message to the deluge of tributes pouring in after the Cardijn College student’s death in a Yorke Peninsula shark attack on Thursday.
Hudson Brown donated $50 to a fundraising appeal for Khai’s family, along with a message saying the 15-year-old surfer was his best friend and already dearly missed.

“Khai was my best friend out there we already looked out for each other and would go through a lot together,” Hudson wrote.

“I already miss himtgere wasn’t an opportunity for me to say goodbye before I lost my best friend and it is heartbreaking.

“I love Khai like he was my brother and always will.”

Hudson’s words come as the principal of Cardijn College where Khai was a Year 9 student, also addressed the tragic incident in a letter to the school community.

“It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of the tragic passing of Khai Cowley

(Year 9 Marian) who was formally identified by SA Police this morning,” Principal Steve Byrne wrote.

“Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy are with his parents Kate and Tim and younger brother, Jett. The family have requested that their privacy be respected at this most difficult of times.

“The SA Surfing Community is wrapping around the family and on behalf of the College I have offered to assist where we can.

“May perpetual light shine upon Khai and may he rest in peace.”

The Maslin Beach teenager was a talented surfer, a member of the Seaview Road Board Riders group and played for the Port Noarlunga Football Club.

Khai was visiting the popular tourist spot with his dad on a day trip, when he was attacked at Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park, about 300km from Adelaide, at 1.30pm.

SA Police released a statement on Friday morning confirming the teenager’s body had been recovered from the water and Yorke Mid North Police, Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators attended the scene.

Khai’s aunty Lauryn Barley has set up a GoFundMe to help his parents Tim and Kate raise money for his funeral with more than $10,000 donated so far.

“Hi my name is Lauryn, Aunty to our beloved Khai, who was suddenly taken from us by a white pointer while surfing at Ethel Wreck off the coast of Yorke Peninsula. I’m here to try help raise funds for my sister, Kate and brother, Tim to cover the cost of the funeral service. Any donations will be most appreciated,” the fundraising page reads.

Seaview Road Board Riders posted a touching tribute to Khai on their Facebook page, sending love to “Kate, Tim and younger brother Jett”.

Khai Cowley . Picture: Seaview Road Board Riders

“Khai is a 3rd generation Roader with his grandfather Pete Barley leading the way, and his uncle Adam guiding him over the years. All three took out awards at the Southern Surf Festival in a special moment for their family and for Roaders,” the post reads.

“Khai surfed his last rally at the Roaders single fin memorial, shining on the day and as always offering a helping hand.

“He was a true club man, a Roader through and through and the club was proud to award him the outstanding grom performer award for 2023.

“He was a standout. He helped the little groms, made their trainings fun and they all looked up to him.

“Khai was one of our top groms and was due to represent the club at the Boardriders Battle in March. We will surf this for you Khai with all our heart and soul.

You will live on in our hearts and memories, once a Roader always a Roader. Represent the skull and cross bones up there grom.

“We will all miss you so much and will keep on shredding for you. #oncearoadeealwaysaroader #foreveraroader.”

Surfer Khai Cowley, 15, who was fatally attacked by a shark at Ethel Beach in South Australia's Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, on the Yorke Peninsula. Picture: Facebook

Locals and friends react

Local resident Sean Hanna, who’s been coming to the beaches in Innes National Park for four decades, was at Ethel Beach on Friday morning to see where young Khai Cowley lost his life.

“I came down here to pay my respects to a young surfer,” he said.

“Obviously his love of surfing was such that he was out there yesterday. It wasn’t the best, there was a lot of whitewater but he wanted to be a part of it and that’s something any surfer could understand.”

Mr Hanna, who has children and grandchildren that love to surf, said he was worried about what effect the attack would have on young children

“This can’t keep them out of the water,” he said.

“I know parents will be worried, and that’s understandable, but please, buy your kid a surfboard or a boogie board and let them go have fun.

“They need to be out there, not sitting at home wrapped up playing on an iPad. If you call that living, then sorry, that doesn’t make sense to me.

“This isn’t going to stop people getting in the ocean, we all know what we’re getting into when we enter their territory.”

Mr Hanna said he was family friends with Simon Baccanello, who died after a shark attack in Elliston earlier this year.

“He was a great guy, coming into the prime of his life,” he said.

“This is just another one of those tragedies.”

Khai Cowley was a well known member of the surfing community. Picture: Facebook

Port Noarlunga local Luke Winter, 38, said he’s known the boy’s family his whole life.

“They’re very well known in the surf community, which just makes this news so much more tragic,” he said.

Mr Winter said he also knew the man taken by a shark at Elliston.

“I’ve got two young boys in my family, and they get out and surf so I don’t know what would happen if this happened to one of them, it’s horrible,” he said.

Despite the attacks this year, surfers know what kind of water they’re getting into.

“It’s their ocean you know, and I love animals,” he said.

“I don’t want to kill them but it’s like we need to just cull them.

“This keeps happening.”

Mr Winter said there were other children on the beach who witnessed some of the incident.

“He was just such a good, young kid. He didn’t deserve this,” he said.

Online tributes begin to flow

Surfing SA released a statement on Thursday saying: “We are devastated to learn that a young, talented and dearly loved member of our surfing community, was the surfer involved in the attack at Ethel Beach, and are absolutely shattered to hear that the incident was fatal.” The statement continued: “Our utmost deepest sympathies are with his family. We ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy as they navigate such a heartbreaking time”.

Friends and members of the Seaview Road Board Riders, have also posted tributes on Instagram.

“Fly high, love you mate,” one Instagram story said.

Other stories read: “Rest easy, will be missed”, “Heartbroken, going to miss you”, and “Rest in peace, you’ll be missed so much”.

York Peninsula locals also paid their respects to the teenager at Ethel Beach on Thursday evening with one telling The Advertiser he was bitten on the leg by the shark.

“The shark took his leg, and so another local guy ran out, jumped on his board and paddled out to help him,” he said.

“The shark was circling them as the guy pulled the boy out of the water. There was a lot of blood.

“He brought him to shore but I think it was too late by then.”

O’Reilly Gray at Ethel Beach where a teenager was fatally attacked by a shark earlier in the day. Innes National Park, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ben Clark

O’Reilly Gray, who teaches outdoor education in the area, said the news was “tragic”.

“People come down here to get away and reset and he was probably doing that with family so it’s really sad.

“I’ve never come across anything like this when I’m out working with kids.”

The attack comes after a swimmer went missing at the same beach in January, 2020.

SA has been hit hard this year with five shark attacks, including three that were fatal.

On October 31, 55-year-old surfer Tod Gendle was killed in a frenzied attack at the popular surfing spot Granites Beach near Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula.

In May Elliston Primary School teacher, 43-year-old Simon Baccanello was surfing at Walkers Rock near Elliston on the SA West Coast.

Assistant Commissioner Narelle Kameniar said Khai’s death was a “very tragic incident with the life of that little boy lost”.

Number of attacks a concern?

On Friday morning, Premier Peter Malinauskas told Channel Nine’s the Today Show that it was concerning there had been three fatal attacks in South Australia this year alone.

“We’ve seen 11 fatal shark attacks in South Australia since the year 2000, so the fact we’ve seen three across this summer is startling and it is of concern,” Mr Malinasukas said.

“The bulk of these incidents are occurring well far away from our metropolitan beaches.

“We’ve got a coastline in South Australia that’s basically the equivalent of NSW and Victoria combined.

“The reality is there are sharks along our coastline around the southern part of our nation.

“When people venture out, particularly where they go quite far away from the shoreline, there is a risk associated with that.”