Shocked friends have paid heartfelt tributes to a surfer who travelled across the world chasing waves before he was mauled to death by a monster great white Shark.
Experienced surfer Robin ‘Rob’ Pedretti, 60, was enjoying a Sunday morning ride at Salt Beach near Kingscliff in far northern NSW when he was attacked on the left leg.
He was still conscious as two other surfers dragged him to shore but died on the beach shortly afterwards.
Originally from Geelong in Victoria, Mr Pedretti lived on the Gold Coast in recent years and was part of the local surfing community which has been left reeling from his sudden and tragic death.
Shark attack victim Rob Pedretti (pictured) has been remembered by the Gold Coast surfing community as a real gentleman who loved to chat
Well-known local surfing identity Nev Hyman expressed his shock over the fatal attack south of the border, initially unaware it was his good friend Mr Pedretti.
‘He was one of the many people who lived and breathed surfing, we love it more than anything, apart from our loved ones,’ Mr Hyman told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
‘There is no rhyme or reason to it. Rob didn’t do anything wrong and the shark didn’t either.
‘I know every single Gold Coast surfer’s hearts are breaking right now and they will be reaching out with love and sympathy for Rob and his family.’
Friends who travelled the world with Mr Pedretti held a beachside vigil at one of his favourite breaks on the Gold Coast on Sunday afternoon.
‘To think he got taken by a shark out of left field … I can’t even get my head around it,’ Brian Currie told Nine News.
Tim Buckley added: ‘It’s always someone you don’t know (who gets attacked by a shark). When it does hit this close to home, it really affects you and the people who loved him and hung with him and his family.’
A jet ski rider monitors the movements of a massive shark lurking close to shore near where a surfer was mauled to death near Kingscliff on Sunday morning
The Palm Beach Boardriders Facebook page was flooded with tributes, where he was remembers as a real gentleman who was always up for a chat.
‘He was a nice bloke who had big chiny smile and never hurt a fly. So sad,’ one man wrote.
Another added: ‘He was one of the good ones.’
Mr Pedretti was still conscious when he was dragged to shore by a friend and another nearby surfer but died on the beach a short time later, despite desperate attempts by paramedics to save him.
One of the surfers who dragged him to shore was shaken by the ordeal but said he was ‘doing okay.’
‘It was close,’ the unnamed man told Nine News.
‘It was a big shark, about 3.5 metres.’
Rob Pedretti (pictured) is the third fatal shark victim in Australia so far this year
Meanwhile, the three-metre great white shark remains at large after escaping a widespread Police hunt.
The beach was closed as helicopters, jet skies and drones scoured the ocean from the water and air to locate the shark responsible for the mauling.
Extraordinary footage shows jet skis and a police boat following the massive predator lurking close to shore before it vanished from the vicinity almost three hours after the fatal attack.
Police had been given authority to capture or kill the shark before it disappeared.
‘Under the Department of Primary Industry’s shark Incident response protocols, permission may be granted to destroy the shark, if it is considered an ongoing threat to human life,’ a NSW Police statement read.
‘This process involves consultation by the incident commander with the commander of Marine Area Command as well as the Department of Primary Industries, which comes under the DPI’s ‘Threat to Life’ policy.
‘Due to concerns that the shark had to be fought off by other board-riders, and that it remained in the vicinity for several hours after the attack, police were granted permission to destroy the shark.
A police boat circled the massive predator before it vanished from the vicinity
‘Police and local rescue helicopter crews monitored the area for some hours; however, the shark left the vicinity about 1.15 pm and has not been seen since.’
No police firearm was discharged in the search.
Daily Mail Australia has been told there are no plans to kill the shark.
Tweed Byron Police District Inspector Matthew Kehoe hailed the two surfers who came to Mr Pedretti’s aid as heroes.
‘They got him on one of the boards and tried to stabilise him and take him to shore,’ he told reporters.
‘Their actions were absolutely outstanding, they did everything they could to save this guy.’
‘They put themselves at significant personal risk and we will be recognising those two gentlemen at a later stage for their heroic actions.’
Several surfers rushed to help the man fight the shark off before he was dragged to shore. Pictured are emergency service at the harrowing scene
The 60-year-old man was surfing at Salt Beach near Kingscliff when his leg was bitten off by a three-metre shark (pictured) about 10.40am Sunday
NSW Ambulance Inspector Terence Savage said it was a ‘dreadful’ situation for everyone involved.
‘When you get a call to attend a shark attack, you never really know the full extent of the damage until you get on scene,’ he said.
‘They did everything they could to try and save his life, but despite their best efforts, were unable to do so.’
Kingscliff resident Stuart Gonsal had just arrived at the beach ready for a surf, when he found out about the fatal attack.
‘We came down and we hadn’t got in the water and police were immediately hauling people in,’ Mr Gonsal told ABC radio.
‘We found out there was a fatal shark attack on the south side of the rock wall. We were going to get in, we’re not going to now for sure.
The surfer was still alive when he was dragged to shore but died a short time later. Pictured are emergency crews at the scene afterwards
All beaches in the area between Kingscliff and Cabarita will remain closed until Monday morning.
It’s the third fatal shark attack in Australia this year, following the death of Gary Johnson, 57, on Western Australia’s south coast in January and Zachary Robba in Central Queensland in April.
It’s five years since the last fatal shark attack in northern NSW when Tadashi Nakahara was killed while surfing at Ballina’s Shelly Beach.
