Horrific scenes as surfers see teacher Simon Baccanello taken by great white shark near Elliston
A witness to a tragic shark attack off SA’s west coast has described the horrifying moment he saw a missing school teacher’s surfboard “tombstone”.
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A surfer has told of the horrifying moment a shark attack victim’s surfboard “tombstoned” as he was dragged underwater in a great white attack off the West Coast town of Elliston.
Popular local teacher Simon Baccanello, 46, is believed to have been killed in the attack, which happened at the popular local beach of Walkers Rocks, around 10am Saturday morning. Emergency services are yet to locate Mr Baccanello’s body.
Jaiden Millar, 22, was in the water when the teacher, who began working at Elliston Area School in January, was attacked.
“The worst part was there was a 13-year-old out there and he witnessed everything,” Mr Millar, who is from Geraldton in Western Australia, said.
“It was such a confronting incident. There were 15 or 20 people out there today.
“It could have been anyone.”
Mr Millar said he didn’t realise until after the incident what had happened.
“I had actually caught a wave at the time and as I got off the wave I heard the (car) horn going – there was a bloke on the beach tooting his horn and as I turned around I saw everyone paddling in,” he said.
“At that time I sort of realised what was going on.
“I saw his board tombstoning, which means he’s underwater and his board’s getting dragged under … trying to fight his way back up to the surface.
“We all looked at each other like, ‘what do we do?’ I yelled out, ‘call an ambulance’ but I’m sure the bloke on the beach had already been on the phone trying to get a hold of the ambulance.”
Mr Millar said about 15 minutes after the attack he saw the man’s surfboard “tombstoning” about 500m off shore.
“(We) couldn’t see him,” he said.
“He was gone. (We) saw the shark just thrashing around out the back. The shark’s obviously let go and come back and got him for a third time.”
Mr Millar said one female witness had gone to hospital because she was in shock.
“It’s definitely tragic,” he said.
Mr Millar said he would return to the water on Sunday despite the attack.
“It’s something that all surfers think about but you never want it to happen to anyone and it’s something that you never want to experience,” he said.
“It happened to happen and everyone’s sort of lost for words.
“I’m still in a lot of shock and it hasn’t quite hit me yet.”
An Elliston local said Mr Baccanello had been a popular figure since moving to the town at the beginning of the year.
“He’s just been a good teacher for the kids,” they said.
“In a small town like this everyone gets affected by it.
“He was the greatest guy.”
Another, whose daughter was taught by Mr Baccanello at Elliston Area School, said he was a “super kind” man.
She said Mr Baccanello was a “really good” Auskick coach and teacher.
A search and rescue operation was launched soon after the attack, with police helicopters and boats searching for the man’s body. Members of the local community were also engaged in the effort.
The search was officially called off for the day at sunset, with rescue services set to resume a land-based search of the beach on Sunday.
Mr Baccanello’s surfboard has been found by searchers, the ABC reports.
Elliston, famous for its surf breaks and fishing, has a population of less than 400 people and is around 650kms drive from Adelaide.
Just this week dozens of schoolchildren flocked to Walkers Rock to participate in a surf competition.
The beach is known as a family beach where most of the town’s children learn to surf.
Surfing South Australia CEO Craig Potgieter said it was always a tragedy to lose a surfer and his condolences and sympathy went out to the man’s family and the people of Elliston.“Surfing has an element of risk, but it’s very sad whenever something like this happens,” Mr Potgieter said.
On September 25, 2000, 17-year-old Jevan Wright was killed while surfing at a nearby break called Blackfellows Point. Jevan’s death came just a day after another surfer, New Zealander Cameron Bayes, was killed up the coast at Cactus Beach.
Later in 2014, Andrew “Monkey” McLeod, a local pharmacist and now mayor of the town, survived a shocking shark attack at Elliston.
The shark that attacked Mr McLeod was estimated to have been 4.5m long left two huge bite marks in his surf board.
SHARK DEATHS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
February 8, 2014
Spearfisherman, high school teacher Sam Kellett taken off Goldsmith Beach, York Peninsula
February 17, 2011
Abalone diver Peter Clarkson killed by two great whites at Perforated Island, near Coffin Bay
August 24, 2005
Diver Jarrod Stehbens taken by a great white at Glenelg
December 16, 2004
Nick Peterson taken while towing behind a boat on a surfboard at West Beach
April 30, 2002
Scallop diver Paul Buckland killed by a great white at Smoky Bay, Eyre Peninsula
September 25, 2000
Jevan Wright, 17, taken by a great white while surfing at Blacks, Elliston
September 24, 2000
Cameron Bayes killed by a great white while surfing at Cactus, near Penong
May 29, 1999
Windsurfer Tony Donoghue believed to have been taken by a shark at Hardwicke Bay, Yorke Peninsula
June 28, 1998
Doug Chesher fatally attacked while free-diving for abalone at Neptune Island, south of Port Lincoln
September 8, 1991
Jonathon Lee killed by a great white while scuba diving at Snapper Point
March 9, 1989
Matthew Foale killed by a shark while surfing at Waitpinga
September 18, 1987
Scuba diver Terrance Gibson killed at Merino Rocks, in Adelaide’s south
March 3, 1985
Shirley Durdin killed by a shark while snorkelling for scallops at Wiseman’s Beach, near Tumby Bay
February 10, 1975
Wade Shipard, 12, killed while swimming at Point Sinclair, near Penong
January 19, 1975
David Barrowman taken by a shark while surfing at Almonta, near Coffin Bay
January 9, 1974
Terry Manuel killed while diving for abalone near Streaky Bay
Originally published as Horrific scenes as surfers see teacher Simon Baccanello taken by great white shark near Elliston
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