A swimmer penned a chilling post about shark nets and drumlines months before he was mauled to death by a great white.
Simon Nellist, 35, was training for a charity ocean swim this weekend – which has since been cancelled – when he was attacked from below by the four-metre-long predator at Buchan Point, near Little Bay in Sydney’s east, on Wednesday afternoon.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries has temporarily installed six drumlines between Little Bay and Malabar as part of a shark incident response plan, an issue Mr Nellist 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. It’s understood he did the swim most days.
‘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 drum lines are usually deployed near popular swimming beaches with the aim of reducing sharks in the vicinity.
Simon Nellist (pictured with his fiancee) was mauled to death by a great white shark
The shark attack victim has been identified at British expat Simon Nellist (pictured) – an experienced ocean swimmer and diver
Six drum lines 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 (Shark Management Alert In Real Time) 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 at beaches.
A communication unit is attached to the drumline which 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.’
Mr Nellist has been remembered by shocked friends as a man who loved adventure and was adored by all of those around him.
The former Royal Airforce serviceman is understood to have family in the UK and had a partner in Sydney whom he was about to marry.
‘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.’
Simon Nellist (pictured) loved adventure and was popular in the local diving community
Friends say Simon Nellist was about to marry the love of his life (pictured together), who he lived with in Sydney
The tragedy was Sydney’s first fatal shark attack in almost six decades.
Mr Nellist’s social media feed was littered with photos of him enjoying the ocean and thrill seeking adventures such as skydiving.
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.
A close friend said Mr Nellist fell in love with Australia during his travels six years ago as he remembered 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,’ he told The Sun.
‘Simon was amazing. That’s all there is to say really. He was just the best.
‘In the last couple of years we haven’t been able to see him because of the Covid situation.’
The firend added Mr Nellist was due to marry his partner last year but had their plans ruined by Covid-19 and lockdowns.
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
He 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.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk