Surfer’s final moments before he was mauled by a shark at Granites Beach as search for his body enters third day

Australians from a remote beach town have described the final tragic moments of a young surfer being attacked by a shark as the search for his body continues.

Lance Appleby, a 28-year-old man from Port Lincoln, was attacked by the shark at Granites Beach, about 700km from Adelaide, just after 7pm on Thursday.

Family friend Jeff Schmucker recalls the veteran surfer’s horrific final moments, during which he revealed he was dragged underwater by a great white shark.

“He caught a wave, turned away from the wave and paddled back, and he was attacked,” Schmucker said. 7NEWS.

A man on a jet ski ran out to help Mr Appleby but could only find his board.

“He confirmed that the board had a bite mark on the bottom and the rope had been cut in half,” Mr Schmucker said.

The local fisherman said the close-knit community had been hit “so hard” by the attack.

A fisherman warned locals on social media about an ‘aggressive’ great white shark at Granite Beach just hours before Appleby was attacked.

Family friend Jeff Schmucker (pictured) said Mr Appleby caught a wave on Thursday, went away and was attacked as he paddled back to Granites Beach

It is not known whether Mr Appleby was aware of the warning.

Assistant Police Commissioner John De Candia confirmed on Friday that a report would be prepared for the coroner as the search for Mr Appleby’s body continues.

“It is a very sad and tragic circumstance for the family,” he told a news conference.

‘Any incident, such a tragedy, affects a wide variety of people… the immediate family, friends, colleagues, colleagues, it affects the police (and) other emergency services who also had to be present.

‘Any death under these circumstances is absolutely tragic and has a major impact on many people.’

The locals call for the shark to be hunted in lieu of Appleby’s death.

“If they want to do something about it, they need to do it now,” Schmucker said.

“The fishing industry has the power to issue a destruction order, but the government doesn’t have the balls.”

The desperate search for Mr Appleby’s body continues after a horrific shark attack

Mr Appleby was a keen surfer and played for the Marble Range Football Club.

He had traveled to Europe just months before the attack and had posted photos on Facebook of his visits to London and Amsterdam.

The search for Mr Appleby follows the death of Tod Gendle, who was killed by a four-metre great white shark while surfing on the same beach in October 2023.

Mr Schmucker, who rushed out on a jet ski to rescue the surfer, said he saw Mr Gendle being pulled underwater by the huge shark.

Mr Schmucker said he was attacked and surrounded several times by a ‘large female’ shark.