Witness reveals gruesome details of deadly shark attack near Streaky Bay on SA’s west coast

A witness says he saw the victim of SA’s deadly shark attack getting dragged under before the predator emerged with the 55-year-old surfer’s body in its mouth. WARNING: Graphic details

* WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS *

Shocked witnesses have described the “gruesome” attack in front of about a dozen other surfers by a huge great white, which took place at one of the Eyre Peninsula’s popular surfing spots.

Ian Brophy, 70, from Angourie in NSW, said he and his surfer mate were getting ready to go in the water before someone yelled out ‘SHARK!’.

“As I turned around I saw the shark go and just launch and bite … over the top of the guy and bite and drag him down under the water and then nothing for a minute or two and blood everywhere and then up pops the board,” he said.

“My son is a paramedic and he rang me up and asked if I was OK, because he has seen people torn apart in his job.

“That’s all it was, was this guy getting torn apart. I saw him in the wave and the shark had his body in his mouth. It was pretty gruesome.

Scene of the fatal great white shark attack at the Granites at Streaky Bay. Picture: Supplied

“And then after he digested that first, whether it be his head or his arms or whatever, he came back in about four minutes’ time and all that was left was the board. It took every bit of him I think.

“I didn’t see the torso because it was his hips and his legs that were left and the torso had gone.

“I saw the shark in the wave, the silhouette in the wave with the guy in his mouth. It was heavy.”

Mr Brophy had flown in from NSW a “few days ago” to travel South Australia and search for surfing spots, but says he has since changed his mind.

“I’m gonna leave tomorrow (Wednesday) after that because I was gonna go surfing tomorrow and then probably gone to Cactus but as a result of that, nah, it was gruesome,” he said.

“Sixty years of surfing and I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life.

“It was like a real-time David Attenborough thing but with a human involved. It was pretty poor for the guy that was on the receiving hand. It was heavy.

“You gotta put it into perspective though. Here we are going into their world, and whether it be a new prey for them, we’re prey.”

The search for a man’s body continues at Granite Rock, near Streaky Bay, on Wednesday. Picture: Andrew Brooks

Emergency services and police resumed the search on Wednesday morning. Picture: Andrew Brooks

Emergency services and police resumed a search this morning for the victim.

Streaky Bay Mayor Travis Barber on Wednesday said the shark attack had cast a pall or shock and sadness over the Eyre Peninsula.

“The community is very sombre today and in shock and trying to get our heads around this incident,” he said.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to all the family, friends and those that were at the scene yesterday.

“Out of respect and compassion for the family we would prefer not to comment any further at this stage, except to thank all of the services and volunteers who attended and are still at the scene.”

Earlier, other witnesses told how a “f**king monster” great white shark killed the male surfer on Tuesday.

They watched in horror as the giant predator savaged the man about 10.20am, dragging him under water.

Veteran surfer Jeff Schmucker, who was circled by the shark on his jetski, said the victim was attacked from the side – and never stood a chance.

“He went under once and came up again and that was the last time (he was seen),” he told 7NEWS.

Mr Schmucker arrived at the surf spot within 60 seconds of the attack and jumped straight on his jetski.

He can be heard saying on footage he took: “He is a f**king monster”.

He said there was simply “no sign of the person”.

Police and emergency services are resuming an air and sea search for the man’s body in deep waters where sharks are known to reach 6m.

The attack occurred near Granite Rock off Westall Way Loop, which is close to Streaky Bay, 700km from Adelaide.

Another witness described the mauling as “horrendous” and the scene as “pandemonium”.

“It happened close in near the surf break” she said, adding that just moments before there were lots of tourists – between 10 to 20 – coming in and out of the water.

The latest fatal attack on the Eyre Peninsula comes after 64-year-old grandmother Pam Cook was seriously injured when a juvenile great white shark, with jaws “the width of a basketball”, attacked her during a daily swim with about 20 friends near Beachport jetty, at 7.45am on October 2.

She sustained a bite to her right ankle, her left thigh and injuries to arms and hands, which resulted in five-and-a-half hours of surgery at Mt Gambier hospital.

“We were probably about 100 or 110 metres out and then I felt like a grab on my ankle and I looked around and it was a shark,” Ms Cook said.

In May this year, popular local teacher Simon Baccanello, 46, was killed in a shark attack, which happened off the West Coast town of Elliston.Remnants of a wetsuit were found during an extensive search but Mr Baccanello’s body has not been located.

Originally published as Witness reveals gruesome details of deadly shark attack near Streaky Bay on SA’s west coast