A diving enthusiast killed by a monster great white was a passionate advocate for sharks and campaigned to protect the predators before one ended his life.
British expat Simon Nellist, 35, became Sydney’s first fatal shark attack victim in almost 60 years when he was mauled to death at Buchan Point, near Little Bay in the city’s east, on Wednesday afternoon.
The experienced diver was on his daily afternoon swim in preparation for a charity ocean swim this weekend which has since cancelled.
Heartbroken friends have revealed the Wolli Creek local was due to marry the ‘girl of his dreams’, long-time partner Jessie Ho, whom he met not long after arriving in Australia as part of his travels.
His fiancée was the love of his life while the ocean came a distant second, based on his online posts.
Simon Nellist (pictured with his fiancée Jessie Ho in Sydney) was due to marry the love of his life after Covid threw their wedding plans into chaos
Simon Nellist was no stranger to sharks and would also post footage of his diving expeditions with them (pictured)
Mr Nellist’s social media feed was littered with photos and footage of him on his ocean adventures, which included diving expeditions and swimming with sharks.
He was also an advocate for the predators and expressed strong views about shark nets and drum lines just six months ago.
Mr Nellist regularly shared memories of his ocean adventures with fellow enthusiasts on the Sydney Dive Buddy Network Facebook page.
‘Lots of sharks today at Bushrangers Bay diving with the Scubathlon team. Vis wasn’t too bad, a bit patchy but good at the gravel loader. We counted around 10 Grey Nurse Sharks,’ he captioned footage diving with sharks.
Shortly before Sydney was plunged into Covid-19 lockdown, Mr Nellist and his fiancee headed north to dive with sharks off Rainbow Beach near Fraser Island, an experience he highly recommended to others.
‘We had a great couple of dives today. Awesome and professional crew, and a couple of lovely dives,’ he wrote.
‘Lots of pregnant grey nurse heaps of different schooling fish, whip ray, bull ray, puffers, snapper, crocodile needle fish chilling near the surface. We could hear the humpbacks singing and watched them on the surface interval.
‘A Great day out, check it out if you come up this way!’
Other posts revealed his caring nature for all marine life.
‘A friend of mine saw this rather sick looking turtle at the steps, Kurnell today. I’ve contacted Australian seabird rescue as they also rescue turtles,’ he wrote.
Simon Nellist and his partner Jessie Ho pictured after a diving expedition off Queensland’s Rainbow Beach last June before Sydney was plunged into lockdown
Simon Nellist (right) often encountered sharks on his frequent diving expeditions
Six months earlier penned a chilling post protesting against shark nets and drumlines just months before he was mauled to death by a great white.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries has temporarily installed six drumlines between Little Bay and Malabar as part of a shark incident response plan
It’s an issue Mr Nellist – a former Royal Air Force serviceman felt strongly about.
The experienced ocean swimmer and dive instructor knew of the potential dangers every time he did the swim between the two beaches, and expressed his disgust with controversial techniques used to keep sharks out of swimming areas.
‘Shark nets and drumlines protect no one and kill all kinds of marine life each year,’ Mr Nellist posted on Facebook six months ago.
Shark nets and drumlines are usually deployed near popular swimming beaches with the aim of reducing sharks in the vicinity.
The shark attack victim has been identified at British expat Simon Nellist (pictured) – an experienced ocean swimmer and diver
Six drumlines have temporarily installed between between Little Bay and Malabar. Simon Nellist shared strong views on drum lines just six months ago
Authorities have since revealed Little Bay Beach was scheduled to have the SMART drumline technology installed within two weeks as part of the NSW government’s new shark management program.
The technology is designed to provide greater protection to swimmers by alerting authorities to a shark’s presence.
There is a bait dangling in the ocean attached to a bouy, so that when the shark takes the bait it triggers a magnet which sets off a solar-powered beacon to alert officials on the shore.
The communication unit, attached to the drumline, sends an email and text message to researchers and contractors within minutes of a shark tripping the line.
‘We’re rolling SMART drum lines out in the Sydney region, around where this incident happened, in about two weeks,’ DPI principal research scientist Paul Butcher told The Australian.
‘Our biggest priority is getting those drumlines in the water straight away.’
The search for the great white shark that killed Simon Nellist continued on Thursday
Other shark enthusiasts urged people to not blame the predator as they paid tribute to Mr Nellist.
‘He was an instructor, he knew how to handle sharks but you know your expertise doesn’t always work on animals,’ one wrote on Facebook.
‘It was neither his fault nor the shark’s.’
‘It was the fault of greed. They put drumlines so close to shore & that’s the price they paid today.
‘Hope they learn not to mess with the nature.’
Mr Nellist was remembered by shocked friends as a man who loved adventure and was adored by all of those around him.
A close friend said Mr Nellist fell in love with Australia during his travels six years ago as they remembered him as ‘the nicest, kindest human.’
‘It’s just horrendous. We spent most of yesterday just hoping and praying it wasn’t him. It’s still incredibly raw,’ they told The Sun.
‘Simon was amazing. That’s all there is to say really. He was just the best.’
Shattered friends have shared heartfelt tributes about Simon Nellist (pictured left with friend)
They added he ‘really knew the water’ and was respectful of wildlife.
‘He was massively into wildlife and knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t daft. It’s just a freak accident,’ they said.
‘Simon was doing his diving and he would send us the most amazing videos of the wildlife out there
The friend added Mr Nellist was due to marry ‘the girl of his dreams’ last year but had their plans ruined by Covid-19 and lockdowns.
He grew up in Penzance, in England’s south-west but hadn’t been able to go back to visit family in the last few years due to the pandemic.
Another friend described him as a wonderful man who was godfather to her son.
‘We are all absolutely heartbroken by this,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘He was experienced in the water and respectful of the wonders of the water. he loved it.
‘A huge loss to the world.’
Police
Simon Nellist (pictured) loved adventure and was popular in the local diving community
Friends in Australia have also expressed utter shock.
‘Everything that is connected to Simon is connected to the ocean,’ friend Della Ross told Seven News.
‘The news hit us like a truck because he was one of the people who make this earth lighter.’
Friends say Simon Nellist was about to marry the love of his life Jessie Ho (pictured together), who he lived with in Sydney
He was also an experienced dive instructor who was calm and patient and told his students to respect the ocean.
‘He loved the water, he loved diving,’ Ms Ross added.
He previously dived at a scuba centre in Kogarah, which was rocked by the drowning of Ms Ross’ son Dmitriy while freediving in Brighton Le Sands four years ago after he got caught in shark nets.
Other friends say Mr Nellist lived in Wolli Creek with his partner and was a regular at the nearby Plus Fitness 24/7 gym.
The Sydney Dive Buddy Network urged group members on Thursday night to give Mr Nellist’s family the time and space to endure this traumatic process without excessive communications.
One friend described Simon (pictured with his fiancée) was ‘one of the people who make this earth lighter’
Simon Nellist (pictured bottom left with fellow Scubathon divers) loved the ocean
Mr Nellist was training for the Malabar Magic Ocean Swim, which was due to be held on Sunday but has since been cancelled.
‘The organising committee extends our thoughts and prayers to the family of the swimmer who was so tragically taken yesterday,’ event director Robert Lloyd said.
‘Out of respect for the swimmer and his family, and following wide consultation with Randwick Council and experienced, senior Surf Life Saving personnel, we believe that cancelling the 2022 swim is appropriate.’
More than a dozen beaches between Bondi and Cronulla were closed on Thursday but will reopen on Friday after no further shark sightings.
Lifeguards spent the day surveying the beaches on jet skis and used drones to check for shark sightings along the coast.
The Department of Primary Industries has temporarily installed six SMART drumlines between Little Bay and Malabar.
Little Bay Beach (pictured on Thursday) will reopen on Friday following the fatal shark attack
Witnesses has recalled the horrifying moment the swimmer was mauled by a great white shark
The search for the shark continues.
‘To provide increased swimmer safety over the weekend, DPI will continue deploying drumlines on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Little Bay Beach to Long Bay, a DPI spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday night
‘Surf Life Saving NSW will also be providing additional drone and helicopter surveillance during this period at Little Bay Beach and Maroubra.’
Mr Nellist could be heard screaming for help and struggling to fight off the shark – estimated by witnesses to be four-and-a-half metres long.
Horrifying video from the scene shows local fishermen watching on helplessly as the swimmer is attacked by the monster shark, which they saw ‘swallow parts of his body’ after ripping it in two.
Mr Nellist’s remains were found in the water an hour afterwards. Parts of a wetsuit were also recovered.
‘Footage clearly shows a body, half a body being taken by a shark,’ a police officer told colleagues over a scanner.
‘They have found some remains.’
The horrifying scenes occurred in front of dozens of fishermen and other beachgoers, who heard the swimmer’s screams before the attack unfolded, sparking panic on shore.
‘Someone just got eaten by a shark. Oh man! Oh no! That’s insane. That’s a great white shark,’ one fisherman can be heard yelling in footage.
‘The person’s still there!’
‘I just saw a four to five metre great white explode on the surface just here on a swimmer and it was like a car landing in the water.
‘F*** man, I heard a scream and the shark was just chomping on his body and the body was in half just off the rocks here.’
‘It came back and swallowed parts of his body and that was it. It disappeared.’
