The surfer involved in Thursday’s great white shark attack in South Australia has been identified as 28-year-old Lance Appleby, a resident of the area, and member of a respected local surfing family.
On Thursday evening, Appleby was surfing Granites Beach, southwest of Streaky Bay on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula when witnesses saw him attacked by a shark. Following the attack, authorities issued a search for Appleby from land, air, and sea. As of Friday, they have yet to find him.
Hours prior to the attack, local fisherman and friend of the Appleby family, Jeff Schmucker, spotted a great white shark at the very same spot, and issued this warning via social media: “Heads up to all the surfers at Granites today. There is a large, aggressive great white very close to Granites/Indicators.”
And after the attack, amidst the search for Appleby, Schmucker told the Australian Associated Press there was “no point looking for anything out there. Lance’s body’s inside the shark and the shark’s probably not very far away. If they want to do something about it, they should do it now. Fisheries have the power to give a destruction order, but the government doesn’t have the balls.”
Great white sharks are a protected species in South Australia with a penalty up to $20,000.
Related: Surfer Missing in South Australia After Shark Attack
Back in October of 2023, another surfer was attacked and killed while surfing Granites Beach. Tod Gendle, 55, was identified of the victim of a 13-foot great white attack. In that instance, only Gendle’s surfboard and a portion of his wetsuit were recovered by search and rescue crews.
As for Appleby, he was a carpenter, surfer, and footballer. Schmukcker added that he was “a good, sporty kid from a big family, and had a big heart…definitely cherished by all his mates.”
Our deepest condolences go out to the Appleby family and all affected by this tragedy.
Related: Another Surfer, Another Shark Attack In South Australia
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