Grim update after surfer, 37, was mauled to death by a shark in front of his girlfriend – with his shocking final moments captured by a drone

A surfer mauled to death by a shark in front of his girlfriend is being remembered as an ‘incredible person,’ as authorities called off the search his body.

Steven Payne, 37, from New Zealand, was just weeks into a six-month trip around Australia with his girlfriend and their dog when they stopped for a surf at Wharton Beach on Western Australia’s south coast on Monday. 

Mr Payne was surfing in chest-deep water 50 metres from shore at the time of the attack. 

Shocked onlookers, including his partner, were powerless to help him as his screams rang out.

The rescue operation soon became a recovery mission after a member of the public shared drone footage of Mr Payne being attacked by the shark with police. 

His surfboard was found nearby with bite marks, but authorities were unable to find his body after three days of searching.

The board will be tested in a bid to determine the species of shark that attacked him.

In an emotional statement on Wednesday, Mr Payne’s family remembered him as a ‘beloved partner, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend’.

The family of Mr Payne (pictured with his dog, Poppy) shared an emotional statement on Wednesday as authorities called off the search for his body

Mr Payne, 37, from New Zealand, was just weeks into a six-month trip around Australia with his girlfriend and their dog

‘Steve was one of the best. A gentle giant, he was smart, kind, funny, laid back and very practical,’ they wrote.

‘While he wasn’t a man of many words, he loved his partner deeply, cherished his family, thought the world of his best mates, and was devoted to his dog.’

His family revealed Mr Payne and his partner had been together for 12 years and adopted their dog, Poppy, seven years ago. 

‘The three of them were five weeks into a six-month caravan trip around the western half of Australia. Just a week ago, Steve surfed one of the best waves of his life, sharing the wave with a dolphin. He was stoked,’ they wrote.

‘Steve would not support a shark cull or any attempt to kill the shark responsible. He and his partner spent a lot of time in the ocean together, had enjoyed many dives with sharks and knew the risks.’

Mr Payne first picked up surfing while studying at the University of Otago in Dunedin, NZ.

It was a passion he maintained after moving to Geelong, on Victoria’s southern coast. 

‘Steve’s partner, family and friends would like to thank the Esperance community and emergency services for their incredible support during this time, especially the Family Liaison Officer from Esperance Police Station,’ the family said.

Mr Payne grew up in Lower Hutt, near Wellington, and school friends recalled he was a talented rugby player

‘He was an incredible person who was always there for his mates,’ one friend said

‘We are devastated to have lost Steve.

‘We will be making no further comment and ask that we are given privacy to grieve.’

Mr Payne worked in Melbourne as a sales and marketing director and a volunteer firefighter. 

He grew up in Lower Hutt, near Wellington, and school friends described him as a talented rugby player.

One friend told 7 News that Mr Payne was a ‘really good lad’ who had only moved to Melbourne recently. 

‘He was an incredible person who was always there for his mates,’ said another friend, who described the news as ‘devastating’. 

It’s understood that Mr Payne and his partner had previously lived in Namibia, South Africa.

Authorities arrived at the remote beach at 12.10pm on Monday, before closing the beach to commence a search. 

Steven Payne was attacked by a shark at Wharton Beach on Monday. Pictured are police at the scene

Western Australia Police Force Senior Sergeant Christopher Taylor said on Tuesday that Mr Payne was with several other surfers when he was attacked but there was ‘nothing they could do, nothing’. 

The combination of witness accounts and the drone footage made it ‘so obvious what happened,’ he said. 

‘It (the drone footage)shows a lot of blood, the shark and some other things in there I don’t particularly want to go into and I don’t think anybody else needs to see other than maybe the coroner and some other experts who will determine the type of shark and size,’ Senior Sergeant Taylor said.

He added that Mr Payne’s girlfriend was ‘distraught’. 

‘Her life was turned upside down,’ he said.

‘You can imagine how she is, it’s just horrible.

‘It is heartbreaking obviously and the whole community of Esperance feels the pain – not as much as the family, they’re distraught and trying to come to terms with what happened.’ 

Mr Payne’s family is believed to be on their way to WA.

There are grave fears the surfer’s body may never be found (pictured police at the scene)

Witnesses described seeing a ‘massive shark’ launching itself at the surfer in the water. 

An unidentified species of shark was detected off the Wharton Beach shoreline within minutes of the attack on monitoring website SharkSmart.  

The same stretch of the Esperance coastline, a favourite haunt for snorkellers and surfers, has recorded three fatal shark attacks in eight years.

In 2017, 17-year-old surfer Laeticia Brouwer died after being bitten by a white shark at nearby Kelp Beds. 

Andrew Sharpe, 52, was surfing with seven friends at Kelp Beds in 2020 when a shark bit his leg. 

He was soon pulled under by the shark before he could be rescued.  

Earlier that year, diver Gary Johnson was killed while diving with his wife off Devil Rocks, Esperance. 

Esperance Shire President Ron Chambers told ABC Radio Perth each new attack is another blow to the community.

‘The community’s been here before, they’ll wrap around each other and make sure they take care of each other,’ said Mr Chambers. 

‘We’ve got absolutely fantastic beaches, and we get a lot of people down here who visit them.

‘It is really sad that something like this has happened on that particular beach.’

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