Shark attack victim Steven Jeffrey Payne did not use deterrent device before final surf, inquest hears

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17 hours ago

A man who was killed by a shark off WA's south coast earlier this year had decided not to wear his shark deterrent device before going into the water, an inquest has heard.
Steven Jeffrey Payne was surfing at Wharton Beach, 93 kilometres east of Esperance, in March when he was taken by a great white shark.
The Coroner's Court heard the 37-year-old had entered the water soon after arriving at the beach and was out for about 90 minutes when his partner, Catherine, saw a "commotion".
"It took her a few seconds to realise she was witnessing a shark attacking a surfer," counsel assisting the court Acting Sergeant Craig Robertson said.
There were only two other surfers in the water at the time and Catherine could see the victim was wearing the same hat that Steven wore.
A tourist using a drone captured vision of part of the attack.
"Investigators have viewed the footage and have no doubt the images show Steven sustaining injuries and blood loss which are incompatible with life," Acting Sergeant Robertson said.
The shark dragged him down and he never resurfaced.
Esperance Police Sergeant Harriet Collins, the only person to give evidence at the inquest, said Mr Payne would have succumbed to his injuries quickly.
She said that when emergency services got involved "it was a recovery mission and not a rescue".
Sergeant Collins told the court it was deemed to be too dangerous to put divers into the water.
A multi-agency search got underway, with marine rescue vessels conducting grid searches.
The search was suspended after two days.
Mr Payne's sun hat, pieces of his wetsuit and part of his board were found on the beach.
Mr Payne, who was described as a "gentle giant", was on a six-month caravan trip with his partner and their dog.
The court heard that a few days before arriving in Esperance, the couple had visited Granites Beach, where there had been a fatal shark incident in January.
"Following speaking with locals ... they ultimately decided not to enter the water," Acting Sergeant Robertson told the court.
"Steven and Catherine both own shark deterrent devices and had discussed wearing them prior to their visit to Granites Beach.
The type of shark deterrent device was not specified in court.
Acting Sergeant Robertson said Esperance had experienced a significant number of shark attacks in recent years and the WA government had installed three shark warning towers.
"However, there is always a known risk of attack in these waters," he said.
Soon after the March incident, there were calls from some locals for stronger action from the WA government, and specifically for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to try to catch a shark involved in an attack and remove it.
It was noted that the land-based warning towers which use lights and audio to warn beach users were at Twilight Beach, West Beach and Kelp Beds, but not Wharton Beach.
The inquest was held because Mr Payne was considered a "long term missing person".
Deputy Coroner Sarah Linton, who is yet to complete her full findings, said she was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he was deceased, saying it was a "horrific way to lose someone".