Sydney shark attack victim identified as British expat engaged to marry girlfriend

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A 35-year-old British man has been named in reports as the swimmer who died in a shark attack off an Australian beach this week. 

Simon Nellist, a diving instructor and former UK Royal Air Force serviceman, died after being attacked Wednesday by what witnesses described as a 15-foot great white shark off a beach in Sydney. 

Simon Nellist (Facebook)

Nellist’ friends confirmed his identity to the Australian outlet, 7NEWS. 

"Everything that is connected to Simon is connected to the ocean," friend Della Ross told the station. "The news hit us like a truck because he was one of the people who make this earth lighter." 

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Another friend told The Sun that Nellist was engaged to marry his girlfriend, Jessie Ho. 

Members of the public are seen in the water at Clovelly Beach despite it being closed, in Sydney, Thursday, February 17, 2022.  (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)

"Him and Jessie were due to get married last year but that got put off because of COVID," the friend told the paper. "It’s just horrendous. We spent most of yesterday just hoping and praying it wasn’t him. It’s still incredibly raw." 

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Wednesday marked the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 1963. Extremely graphic video of the attack emerged online. The video shows thrashing in the water and a pool of blood about 50 yards off the coast.

A witness, Kris Linto, said the swimmer was in the water when the shark "came and attacked him vertically."

Members of the public are seen in the water at Clovelly Beach in Sydney, Thursday, February 17, 2022.  (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)

"We heard a yell and then turned around, it looked like a car just landed in the water, big splash," he told Nine News TV.

Police closed Little Bay Beach as they continued to search the area for the shark. 

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According to researchers with the International Shark Attack File, Australia last year led the world with three unprovoked shark-related deaths, followed by New Caledonia with two. The United States, Brazil, New Zealand and South Africa each had a single unprovoked fatal shark attack. There were a total of 11.

Fox News' Eddie DeMarche and The Associated Press contributed to this report.