‘Love of my life’: Fiancee of Sydney shark attack victim shares tribute

The fiancee of Simon Nellist has opened up about her life with the “selfless” diving instructor before he was tragically killed by a shark in Sydney.

The fiancee of shark attack victim Simon Nellist has opened up about the tragic situation a week after the 35-year-old was killed by a great white shark in Sydney.

The British expat was swimming at Little Bay on February 16 when he was attacked and killed by a shark in front of a dozen horrified witnesses.

His death was the first fatal shark attack in Sydney for almost 60 years.

In the wake of the tragedy, his fiancee Jessica Ho took to Facebook to post a picture of herself and Mr Nellist on the day they got engaged in 2019.

Now, Ms Ho has opened up about her life with her “soulmate” in an emotional tribute to Mr Nellist.

Simon Nellist and Jessie Ho became engaged in 2019. Picture: Facebook

“Simon is the love of my life and I am the luckiest woman alive to have met him,” she wrote on a website dedicated to diving instructor, according to the Daily Mail.

“He was generous and selfless. He loved me, his family and his friends so fiercely.

“He is my soulmate, and was a wonderful son, brother, uncle and friend.”

Ms Ho revealed her partner found a “great solace” in nature, with the pair bonding over their love for camping, hiking and scuba diving.

She explained that though Mr Nellist loved Australia, he always held a “special connection” to his hometown of Cornwall.

“I cherish the time we spent there together with his family and friends,” she said.

“Simon, the world is a little less bright without you,” Ms Ho continued.

“I’ll be missing you until we meet again.”

Simon Nellist was killed in a shark attack at Little Bay in Sydney.

Ms Ho has penned an emotional tribute to her ‘soulmate’. Picture: Facebook

Ms Ho and Mr Nellist had planned to marry in 2020, but had postponed their wedding until this year due to the pandemic.

The 35-year-old’s family also paid tribute to him last week, telling the BBC he had a “rare gift” of being able to easily connect with others.

“Simon was funny, compassionate and always had time for people. He had a rare gift of instantly being able to connect with others, gaining their trust and respect,” his family told the media outlet.

“Simon had a great passion for nature and the sea, as well as being a very talented photographer.”

The family said they were very proud of him, saying he completed two tours of Afghanistan as a RAF engineer.

They would “miss him terribly”.

“Simon was a gentle, kind and wonderful human being. He was a cherished fiance, son, brother, uncle and friend,” the family said.

The attack occurred near Little Bay in Sydney’s east. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Flowers have been left as a tribute at Little Bay Beach. Picture: Gaye Gerard/Daily Telegraph

Authorities searched the water into the weekend for signs of the shark responsible for the attack, but operations have since been wound down.

A NSW Department of Primary Industries spokeswoman said it had set six SMART drumlines in a targeted area from Little Bay Beach to Long Bay on Thursday and Friday, however no sharks were caught.

This technology uses hooks loaded with bait to trap the sharks so that they can then be tagged and relocated. An alert is sent when something becomes attached to the line and someone is dispatched to release animal.

From Saturday, 15 SMART drumlines will continue to be deployed daily from Little Bay Beach to Bondi. Beaches include Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra and Little Bay Beach.