Teenage girl Charlize Zmuda killed in shark attack off Bribie Island
The mother of a teenage girl fatally bitten by a shark off a popular beach at Bribie Island has paid an emotional tribute to her “shining light”, as onlookers tell of their shock as the horror incident unfolded.
The mother of a teenage girl fatally bitten by a shark off a popular beach at Bribie Island has paid an emotional tribute to her “shining light”, as onlookers tell of their shock as the horror incident unfolded.
Charlize Zmuda, 17, was swimming off Woorim Beach when she was attacked by the shark, with the area busy with people at the time who witnessed the incident.
The teen was well known in the community and was a member of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club and is believed to have been with friends when the incident occurred.
Emergency service crews were sent to Rickman Pde after reports of a “serious shark bite incident” about 4.45pm but Charlize died from her injuries.
Just hours after the incident dozens of close friends and family arrived at the site.
Charlize’s parents sat down by the beach before 7.30pm while friends gathered with cartons of beer to honour her.
Charlize’s mother Renee Zmuda on Tuesday morning paid tribute to the family's “shining light” as they struggle with the “unimaginable loss our beautiful Charlize”.
“Charlize was loved by many and was such a shining light who truly touched the lives of everyone she met. She loved the beach and it truly was her happiest place on earth,” Ms Zmuda said in a statement.
“She was a free spirit who was truly gifted musically – playing the trumpet, guitar, ukulele and piano as well as having the voice of an angel and playing lead roles in her school musicals at both primary and high school.
“She was a Bribie Island Nipper from the tender age of 8 and was the vice-captain of her patrol, competed with the IRB team in the World Championships last year and was also inspiring the current Bribie Nippers as an Under 9’s Age Manager.
“She loved 4wding up the beach and anyone who went with her knew they would have to stop and pick up every piece of rubbish she saw along the way.
“We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community.
“Please focus on the incredible life she lived and not the awful way she died.”
Her family returned to the beach on Tuesday morning to remember the beloved daughter.
The 17-year-old had just attended her school formal and completed her first day of Year 12, and was one of the co-captains of Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club.
Her uncle paid tribute to the “beautiful girl” while speaking to Sunrise.
Tributes have also flowed on social media in the wake of news of the teenager’s death.
“Rest in peace, beautiful,” one person wrote online.
“Such a beautiful, sweet young lady from a beautiful family,” said another.
Charlize’s patrol captain Jason Burr said the 17-year-old was his “little helper”.
“I would spend every second weekend down here with her on surf patrol,” he said.
“It was her and I – we would get all the gear out every patrol.”
Mr Burr said he wasn’t on the beach at the time of the attack but came down almost immediately with Charlize’s family.
“I was bawling my eyes out, she was just so special,” he said.
Mr Burr said the other members in his patrol often joked that Charlize was the “favourite”.
“She was with her friend (at the time of the attack) … her friend didn’t have togs and what happened from there, I don’t know, we just have to wait for the autopsy,” he said.
Asked whether shark sightings happened often, Mr Burr said: “not really, not that many”.
“I have been on patrol here for 24 years … She was just a beautiful girl.”
Bribie Island resident Sharna Mitchell said she’d never met Charlize but was heartbroken for the 17-year-old’s family as she left flowers at Woorim Beach.
“It’s very very sad especially for a 17-year-old girl just enjoying the ocean, I feel so bad for her parents,” she said
Ms Mitchell said she struggled to sleep on Monday night.
“I’m a parent myself…I was just thinking about her in the ocean, being bitten by a shark and trying to get away and then I felt for her parents…it’s heartbreaking to see your daughter on the sand.”
Bribie Island Swim Club shared a touching tribute on social media, describing the tragedy as “unimaginable”.
“With the heaviest of hearts and a sorrow too deep to express, we wake up this morning to a reality none of us ever thought possible. Yesterday afternoon, our beautiful Woorim Beach became the site of an unthinkable loss. A precious life was taken from us, and our community is forever changed,” the post read.
“Charlize wasn’t just a part of our community; she was a shining light within it. She grew up swimming in the very waters that became her second home, and in 2021, she earned her Surf Rescue Certificate alongside my own son, dedicating herself to keeping others safe. A strong swimmer, a skilled lifesaver, someone who knew the ocean well — yet nothing could have prepared her, her family, or any of us for what happened.”
Describing the sorrow as “beyond words”, the post informed swim club members that Tuesday night’s meeting would be replaced by a candlelight vigil at Woorim Beach.
Writing directly to the parents of the beloved teenager, the club said Charlize will never be forgotten.
“We grieve alongside you, we mourn with you, and we hold you close in our hearts. Charlize was a bright and beautiful soul, and her impact on all of us will never be forgotten. Her kindness, her laughter, her strength — these are the gifts she has left behind, and they will live on in all who knew and loved her,” the post read.
“Please know that you are not alone. If you need to talk, if you need a shoulder to lean on, we are here. We are not just a swim club — we are a family, bound together by love, support, and the memories we share.”
The Courier-Mail understands Charlize had bites to her upper arm and body.
It has been confirmed she was swimming about 500 metres from the patrolled beach and about 100m offshore when she was bitten.
It is believed Charlize was with several friends at the beach when the incident occurred.
A man who was in the water at the time of the attack said he was “helpless” and could not reach her in time.
“I was about 150 metres from the young girl, I looked over and saw a commotion but by the time I got to her, police were already there and she was floating on top of the water,” he said.
“There was nothing we could do.”
Surf club member Bernard Worsfold described Monday’s incident as a “freak” shark attack.
“I hope that we forgive the creatures of the ocean,” he said
“She is at peace.
“I haven’t seen sharks here (before Monday afternoon) but other waters I have come across tiger sharks.
“She is so beautiful that girl, she loved the ocean, that’s the part that is sad.
“But she is part of the ocean now, her spirit is free.”
Jenny O’Connor said members of the surf club gathered together on Tuesday morning to pay tribute to the 17-year-old.
“We wanted to honour the family today and the loss of this young girl’s life.”
Speaking to Sunrise, Premier David Crisafulli said people have to “come before the sharks”.
“It’s just the most horrendous news for people to wake up to,” he said.
Pumicestone MP Ariana Doolan, whose electorate includes Bribie Island, said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident.
“My prayers and heartfelt condolences are with the family, friends and all those affected by this devastating event,” she said.
“Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and it’s important that these processes take course.”
John Wadey was at the beach with his 11-year-old son Dylan, and mother Margret at the time of the attack.
Mr Wadey said police officers ran into the water to help the girl but she could not be saved.
“We literally just got out of the water, it might have happened while we were in the water,” Mr Wadey said.
The family had just left the beach when they heard sirens and saw the frightening scenes unfold.
The Bribie local said sharks were regularly sighted at the beach.
“There’s shark sightings every day,” he said.
“People don’t say anything, it’s common.
“They’ll talk more about seeing dolphins in the water but they (sharks) are seen every day.”
In an email to surf club members across the state, Surf Life Saving Queensland president Gerard O’Brien and SLSQ CEO Dave Whimpey described the fatal attack as “an unthinkable tragedy with the loss of one of our own”, saying Charlize was “a cherished part of the surf lifesaving community”.
Surf lifesaving is built on family and community, and today we mourn this devastating loss,” they said.
“On behalf of all members, we wrap our hearts and minds around her family, friends, Club, and all those affected. No words can ease the pain, but we stand together, offering our deepest sympathies and support.”
Mr O’Brien and Mr Whimpey said the hours, days and weeks ahead would be incredibly difficult and urged any members affected by the tragedy to seek welfare support provided by the organisation.
“As we grieve, we also come together in strength,” they said.
“The red and yellow family will stand side by side, supporting Bribie Island SLSC and the broader Surf Life Saving Queensland community in any way we can while continuing our priority to save lives and keep our beaches safe.
“Our thoughts remain with (Charlize’s) loved ones, and we will honour her memory as we continue our commitment to protecting and supporting one another.”
It comes weeks after school chaplain Luke Walford was killed in a shark attack near the Keppel Islands in December.
Chris Potter said he knew something awful had happened when he heard a piercing scream come from the water.
“People originally thought she had just been caught in a rip,” the local recalled.
“It was shocking.”
Mr Potter said shark sightings were often around Bribie Island however he had never known for them to get too close to the shoreline.
“I’ve lived here for a long time and I’ve never heard of something like that down here,” Mr Potter said.
The 40-year-old was spearfishing near Humpy Island, off the Yeppoon coast, when he was attacked.
Mr Walford’s death prompted calls for a shark cull in the area, with local fishermen revealing they were struggling to get fish out of the water before they were taken by sharks.
Woorim Beach is touted as the closest surf beach north of Brisbane, with waves averaging between 50cm-1m.
There are drumlines off the beach, according to the Department of Primary Industries.
It is also listed as a patrolled beach by Surf Lifesaving Queensland.
The last reported shark attack incident at Bribie Island was a young surfer who had chunks taken out of his surfboard in 2019.
Riley Brown, 17, was with two friends when the incident happened late in the afternoon, with the group paddling back to Woorim Beach.
Seven people have died in shark attacks at Queensland beaches since 2014, including three men in separate incidents in 2020.
After the attack on Bribie Island on Monday, a person in the local Woorim Locals group claimed to have seen a shark in the area for weeks and said they reported it to authorities.
Another said they had seen a shark in the passage near the Sylvan Beach fish and chip shop last week.
One woman wrote that just days ago she was swimming near where the attack happened, near the ramp at Fifth Ave.
“As Woorim locals, I just always thought it would never happen,” she wrote.
Woorim Beach is a popular destination for swimmers, surfers and for fishing.
The waters off Woorim are known to at times have big waves, rips and drags.
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