Sydney shark attack: Swimmer killed identified as 35-year-old British expat Simon Nellist

A swimmer killed in a shark attack in Australia has been named locally as a British man.

Friends said 35-year-old Simon Nellist “loved the water” and was an experienced diving instructor.

It is believed Mr Nellist was a British expatriate living in the Wolli Creek area of Sydney, and was engaged to be married.

Authorities say Mr Nellist was mauled by a great white shark just off Little Bay in east Sydney.

A public order notice is seen near the site of a fatal shark attack off Little Bay Beach in Sydney on February 17, 2022, as authorities deployed baited lines to try to catch a giant great white shark that devoured an ocean swimmer, the city's first such attack in decades. (Photo by Muhammad FAROOQ / AFP) (Photo by MUHAMMAD FAROOQ/AFP via Getty Images)

Emergency services were called to Little Bay at around 4.35pm local time on Wednesday after reports a swimmer had been attacked by a shark.

Della Ross, the victim’s friend, was among those paying tribute.

She told broadcaster 7News: “Everything that is connected to Simon, to me is connected to the ocean.

“The news hit us like a truck because he is really one of the people that makes this earth better.”

Witness Kris Linto said the swimmer was in the water when the shark “came and attacked him vertically”.

He told Nine News TV: “We heard a yell and then turned around, it looked like a car just landed in the water, big splash.”

Lucky Phrachnanh, from New South Wales state ambulance, said the victim “suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the attack”, adding there was nothing paramedics could do when they arrived at the scene.

The incident is believed to be the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 1963.

Shark attacks in Sydney are uncommon because the city has long had nets and other deterrents in its waters.

The search also continues for the animal responsible, which biologists believe to be a white shark at least three meters (9.8ft) long.

A spokesman for the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said: “Based on footage provided by the public including eyewitness accounts, DPI shark biologists believe that a white shark, at least three metres in length, was likely responsible.

“DPI will continue to work with NSW police and Surf Life Saving NSW to monitor the area and provide technical advice and resources as required.”

It is believed Mr Nellist was training for the 5k Malabar Ocean Swim due to take place this weekend when he was killed.

The event has been cancelled out of respect, organisers said.