Timothy Thompson, 31, died off NSW North Coast after bitten by shark

Tim Thompson’s pregnant wife Katie paid an emotional tribute to him, saying, “I take some comfort knowing how loved Tim was ... our baby will never get to meet you.”

The surfer mauled by a great white shark off the NSW North Coast was newly-married Tim Thompson, whose pregnant wife has been left crushed by his death, saying, “Our baby will never get to meet you.”

Keen surfer Mr Thompson, 31, bled to death after his right arm was ripped off as he surfed on Shelly Beach near Coffs Harbour in a savage attack that has “devastated” his wife Katie who is expecting their firstborn.

‘To say I’m heart broken is an understatement, I’m just waiting for someone to tell me this isn’t real,” she said an emotional tribute to him.

“The last thing Tim said to me before he walked out that door for the last time was ‘I love you two’. He kissed me and my tummy goodbye.”

Pregnant Katie Thompson has been left shattered by the death of her husband Tim, 31, who died in a brutal white shark attack on the NSW North Coast yesterday.

Paramedics battled to save surfer Tim Thompson who died after his arm was severed by a great white shark on Shelly Beach at Emerald Beach near Coffs Harbour on Sunday. Picture: Frank Redward

Struggling to come to terms with the enormity of her loss his death, she wrote on Facebook: “My husband, my best Friend and baby daddy has been taken from this world.

“I promise to tell our baby everyday how amazing their daddy was, how you never spoke a bad word about anybody, how kind and caring you were and most importantly how much you loved that little bubba growing in my tummy.”

“I am incredibly blessed that we met and our love story gets to live on with our baby,” she said.

Tim Thompson was killed after he was attacked by a great white shark whilst surfing on the NSW north coast.

Katie Thompson has been left saddened he will never meet their first born due in January.

Mr Thompson died after his right arm was mauled by a great white shark while surfing on the NSW North Coast at Emerald Beach near Coffs Harbour. Picture: Frank Redward

“Thank you to the first responders, paramedics and the Westpac rescue helicopter thank you. You were Tim’s favourite charity - he would always donate whatever cash we had and say ‘I hope I never need you’. Well, turns out he did need you and you were there.”

Tributes from family and friends referred to “the most kind, generous and loveable man” who lived for the ocean and surfing.

Tim and Katie married in March this year and moved to Woolgoolga three years ago to be close to family and were planning the arrival of their first baby in January.

He was seen clinging to his board drifting in and out of consciousness while attempting to make his way to the shores of Emerald Beach yesterday morning.

“Help me,” he faintly told surfer Hugh Riley who was among a group of surfers who helped carry him back to shore.

Katie Thompson and Tim married earlier this year. She is expecting their first child in January.

“He had lacerations on his back and his entire right arm was missing from the shoulder, he was making guttural noises and was in a cloud of blood, the look of fear in his eyes said it all,” said Mr Riley, 33.

“We were surfing 20 meters north of him and noticed people waving their arms to alert us to what was going on.

“He was conscious and in a state of shock, the look of extreme horror in his eyes was what I saw.

“We got him off his board and carried him to shore and made a tourniquet around his shoulder with a leg rope and performed CPR.

“We’re so sorry we couldn’t save him.”

Emergency crews battled to resuscitate him on the shioe but to no avail.

His attack was the second fatal shark fatality in NSW this year, though it’s believed another man was killed by a shark off South Australia in January.

There have been six shark attacks in the waters off NSW this year, of which two were fatal, three injured and one uninjured.

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-katie-thompson

Originally published as Timothy Thompson, 31, died off NSW North Coast after bitten by shark