School teacher Sam Kellett was killed by great white shark off Yorke Peninsula, State Coroner finds

AS SA school teacher Sam Kellett was spearfishing off the Yorke Peninsula coast, he screamed. When his friends look around, and instead of Sam, they saw a shark. Now an inquest has handed down its findings.

AN inquest into the death of a spear fisherman who disappeared in waters off the Yorke Peninsula coast has found he was taken by a great white shark.

Glenunga International High School teacher Sam Kellett, 28, was freediving with friends and fellow spearfishermen off Goldsmith Beach, 10km southwest of Edithburgh, in February 2014 when he vanished.

Mr Kellett’s recovered diving weights had incisions in them consistent with great white shark teeth.

Shark attack victim Sam Kellett. Handout Picture: Supplied

His body has never been found.

An inquest into his death held by State Coroner Mark Johns in September last year heard eye witness accounts from Mr Kellett’s friends of what happened on the day.

They recalled how they were in 5-6m deep water when they heard a scream and saw a shark thrashing about in the spot where Mr Kellett had been seen moments earlier.

Diver Aaron Whitaker recalled how the shark, estimated to be 5m long, launched itself vertically through the water during the attack.

“I put my face under the water to see the shark but couldn’t see it. All of a sudden a white pointer shark came out of the murky water, vertically towards the surface just behind me and it almost launched itself out of the water,” he said.

State Emergency Service workers search the shore for any trace of Mr Kellett. Picture: Simon Cross

“I saw it grab something but because it was maybe 5-7 metres away it was at furthest that I could see with the visibility in the water I couldn’t make out what the shark had grabbed.

“After the shark came up I saw a lot of blood in the water. I saw the shark right near Sam’s float and I knew Sam was at his float when I first saw the shark.

“Although I didn’t actually see the shark grabbing Sam I am sure that the shark took him judging by how close the shark was to his float.”

Police divers at the scene of Mr Kellett’s disappearance off Goldsmith Beach on Yorke Peninsula: Picture: Simon Cross

Police divers found two weights and a loaded spear gun that belonged to Mr Kellett during a search after his disappearance.

The items had incisions on them, which Mr Johns said had been examined by shark experts who had concluded the markings were consistent with white shark teeth.

In his findings handed down on Thursday, Mr Johns said he had “no hesitation” in concluding that Mr Kellett was attacked by a shark and that he died as a result.

Originally published as School teacher Sam Kellett was killed by great white shark off Yorke Peninsula, State Coroner finds