The recovery effort for a missing surfer who was attacked by shark at a beach in Western Australia’s remote southeast is continuing. Wharton beach near Esperance has been closed since the attack happened yesterday afternoon so far only his surfboard has been found. Western Australia police have just released the victim's name he is 37-year-old Steven Jeffery Payne.
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00:00The search resumed here at Wharton Beach at first light this morning.
00:06Not sure if you can just see behind me, but there are two boats out there going up and
00:10down the beach looking for this missing surfer.
00:13So the surfer was out here, right here at Wharton Beach at 12.30 yesterday with about
00:18three other people in the lineup when it's understood he was hit by a shark.
00:24We spoke to witnesses very shortly after.
00:26They described really harrowing scenes.
00:28They said it was a horrible thing to see and they were left feeling really numb.
00:33We also spoke to a man who called emergency services.
00:36They were very quick on the scene.
00:38We saw ambulance, police, SES and the boats very quickly were here yesterday.
00:45Now today ABC Perth has spoken to the victim's brother.
00:49We understand he is a Melbourne man, was travelling around Australia with his girlfriend when
00:55they came to visit Wharton Beach yesterday.
00:59He was an avid surfer as well.
01:01But the brother says unfortunately they really don't think there's much chance of finding
01:06him at this point.
01:09Really devastating news for the Esperance community as well.
01:13There were three fatal shark attacks between 2017 and 2020 here.
01:19There was a fourth attack where the person managed to survive.
01:23From Wharton Beach, we're about an hour's drive east of Esperance here at the moment.
01:28There has been a shark attack here before in 2006.
01:31A teenager lost their leg but they survived.
01:34But to hear that another tragedy has occurred here, it's really got to send shockwaves through
01:38the whole community.