Haunting picture of young surfer feared to have been mauled by a shark is revealed as frantic search for his body continues

The victim of a fatal shark attack on South Australia‘s Eyre Peninsula has been identified as 28-year-old Lance Appleby.

The experienced surfer was attacked at Granites Beach just after 7pm on Thursday.

Emergency services rushed to the beach, about 700km from Adelaide, after receiving reports of a shark attack. 

The body of Mr Appleby, who was visiting his family for Christmas, is yet to be found despite an air, land and sea search being launched.

The beach has been closed to the public who have been urged to stay away. 

The shark attack comes after Mr Appleby shared a haunting photo of himself in the surf several years ago surrounded by what appeared to be dolphins. 

The photo, which was uploaded to Facebook in January 2018, showed Mr Appleby in the water in a black wetsuit with a creature lurking just metres away.

Meanwhile, local fisherman Ben Schultz said he spotted an ‘aggressive’ Great White shark in the area at the time Mr Appleby was attacked. 

The victim of a fatal shark attack on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula has been identified as 28-year-old Lance Appleby (pictured)

‘Large Great White sighted acting aggressively near granites, Streaky Bay,’ he wrote on a South Australian West Coast shark alert Facebook page. 

The attack comes after Tod Gendle, 55, was killed by a four-metre Great White shark while surfing at the same beach in October, 2023. 

Fellow surfer Jeff Schmucker, who raced out on a jet ski to try to save him, said he saw Mr Gendle getting pulled underwater by the huge shark.

Mr Schmucker said he was attacked and circled several times by a ‘big female’ shark.

He did not see any remains of the 55-year-old’s body but told 7News he was able to retrieve part of his surfboard, which had a large bitemark taken out of it.

Locals said Mr Gendle had only moved to the area a short time ago and was not familiar with the surfing spot, which is known as a Great White shark breeding ground.

South Australia Police Assistant Commissioner John De Candia said a report is being prepared for the coroner. 

 The experienced surfer, aged in his late 20s, was attacked by a shark at Granites Beach on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula (pictured) just after 7pm on Thursday

‘It’s a very sad, tragic circumstance for the family,’ Commissioner De Candia said. 

‘Any death in these circumstances is absolutely tragic.’

Mr Appleby was a keen surfer and also played footy for the Marble Range Football Club. 

He had travelled to Europe just several moments before the shark attack and posted pictures to Facebook of his visits to several cities including London and Amsterdam. 

Friends and loved ones have since paid tribute to Mr Appleby online. 

‘RIP mate,’ one person wrote. 

‘Rest in peace,’ another person wrote. 

Mr Appleby (pictured) was a keen surfer and also played footy for the Marble Range Football Club.