The teacher’s last act of courage before being attacked by a shark during a morning surf – as pieces of his wetsuit and board are recovered in search of his remains
- Surfer urged swimmers to go ashore after seeing a shark
- He was attacked by a shark shortly afterwards
- Simon Baccanello, 46, is believed dead from the attack
<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A teacher who is feared dead in a shark attack had nearby swimmers warned of the predator before he was pulled underwater.
Simon Baccanello, 46, went missing after reportedly being attacked by a shark while surfing at Walkers Rock, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, on Saturday.
Emergency services continued to search for his remains on Monday with tributes from his family and loved ones.
Details of his final moments have since emerged, revealing that Mr Baccanello had warned swimmers and surfers, including a 13-year-old boy, about the shark.
The 46-year-old teacher, Simon Baccanello (pictured), reportedly urged other swimmers and surfers to go ashore when he spotted a shark just before being attacked on Sunday
He urged them to swim back to shore before disappearing.
Neither the shark nor Mr. Baccanello have been found, but 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 grounds in Venus Bay and East Island.
Jaiden Millar, 22, was in the water at the time of the attack and recounted the gruesome scene.
“It was such a confrontational incident. There were 15 or 20 people today. It could have been anyone,’ Mr Millar said The advertiser.
He saw the teacher’s surfboard about 500 meters offshore ‘tombstones’, which is when the surfer is pulled down and their board stands upright in the water like a tombstone.
‘He was gone. (We) just saw the shark scurrying around in the back. The shark obviously let go and came back to get it a third time,’ Mr Millar said.
The search for his remains will continue until the end of the day, with the operation reassessed if his body cannot be found.
Mr. Baccanello had only moved to the nearby town of Elliston in January to teach math, science and health and physical education at the Elliston Area School.
He was surfing at Walkers Rock, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula (pictured), when he was attacked, his body has yet to be found
At the time, he was loved by students, employees and the local community.
“I’ve known this guy for five months now and I feel like we’ve been buddies for 10 years,” Chad Fleming, director of the Elliston Area School, told 7News.
“We’re all a little numb at this point…he was just an absolute gem of a guy, an absolutely dedicated teacher.”
“He’s just been a good teacher to the kids,” said another resident.
“In a small town like this, it affects everyone.”
Baccanello’s family has released a statement following the disappearance of their loved one.
“The family is grateful for the support of the Elliston community, family and friends, and appreciates their privacy as they process this tragic loss,” it read.
.