The final brave act of teacher before he was fatally attacked by a shark on his morning surf – as search for his remains continues
- Surfer urged swimmers go ashore after spotting shark
- He was attacked by a shark shorty after
- Simon Baccanello, 46, is presumed dead from the attack
A teacher who is feared dead in a shark attack had warned nearby swimmers of the predator before he was pulled under the water.
Simon Baccanello, 46, went missing after he was reportedly attacked by a shark while surfing at Walkers Rock, on the Eyre peninsula in South Australia, on Saturday.
Emergency services continued to search for his remains on Monday with tributes pouring in from his family and loved ones.
Details of his final moments have since emerged revealing Mr Baccanello had warned swimmers and surfers, including a 13-year-old boy, about the shark.
46-year-old teacher, Simon Baccanello (pictured), reportedly urged other swimmers and surfers to rush ashore when he spotted a shark just moments before being attacked on Sunday
He urged them to swim back to shore before he then disappeared.
Neither the shark or Mr Baccanello have been found, however pieces of his wetsuit and his surfboard with a bite mark have been recovered.
The area where he went missing is sandwiched between two known shark breeding areas in Venus Bay and East Island.
Jaiden Millar, 22, was in the water at the time of the attack and recounted the horrifying scene.
‘It was such a confronting incident. There were 15 or 20 people out there today. It could have been anyone,’ Mr Millar told The Advertiser.
He saw the teacher’s surfboard ‘tombstoning’ around 500m off shore, which is when the surfer is pulled down and their board stands upright in the water like a headstone.
‘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.
A search for his remains will continue until the end of the day, with the operation to be reassessed if his body cannot be found.
Mr Baccanello had only moved to the nearby town of Elliston in January to teach maths, science and health and physical education at Elliston Area School.
He was surfing at Walkers Rock, on the Eyre peninsula in South Australia (pictured), when he was attacked, his body is yet to be found
In that time he had become well loved by students, staff members and the local community.
‘I’ve known this guy for five months and I feel like we’ve been mates for 10 years,’ Chad Fleming, Elliston Area School principal, told 7News.
‘We’re all a bit numb at the minute … he was just an absolute gem of a bloke, an absolutely dedicated teacher.’
‘He’s just been a good teacher for the kids,’ another local said.
‘In a small town like this everyone gets affected by it.’
Mr Baccanello’s family released a statement following the disappearance of their loved one.
‘The family are grateful for the support of the Elliston community, family and friends, and would appreciate their privacy as they process this tragic loss,’ it read.
