Surfer Presumed Dead After Drone Footage Reveals 'A Lot of Blood, The Shark, And Some Other Things'

Authorities in Australia believe a surfer lost his life on Tuesday after drone footage and other evidence suggested a fatal shark attack.

Steven Jeffrey Payne, 37, was surfing at Wharton Beach on Monday when, around midday, he appeared to be in distress, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

His surfboard, bearing clear shark bite marks, was later discovered floating in the ocean.

Earlier that same day, a shark had been seen near the beach, which is situated close to Esperance, Australia.

According to The West Australian, Payne’s girlfriend was on the shore when the attack unfolded.

“She was shocked,” a witness said of Payne’s girlfriend.

“We heard the screams to everyone to get out of the water,” the witness added.

Police and search teams worked together to locate Payne’s body, but after speaking with those who saw the incident and reviewing drone footage, officials announced on Tuesday that the search might soon be suspended.

“I don’t think there’s much point in utilizing all the resources that we have at the moment too much longer,” stated Christopher Taylor, senior sergeant at the Esperance Police Station.

“There’s only so much of the bay you can keep searching over and over. At the moment, we haven’t recovered anything.”

Taylor described what was visible in the drone footage, which was recorded shortly after the attack.

“There was a lot of blood, the shark, and some other things that I don’t think any others need to see,” he explained.

Since no further signs of the shark’s presence were detected, Taylor confirmed that the beach would reopen the following day.

Payne, who was originally from New Zealand, had been vacationing in Esperance with his girlfriend and their dog while visiting from Melbourne, Australia, according to 7 News Australia.

“It is heartbreaking, obviously, and the whole community of Esperance feels the pain—not as much as the family, obviously. They’re distraught and trying to come to terms with what happened yesterday. But as a community within Esperance, we’ve been through this before, and it hurts a lot,” Taylor said.

Taylor was likely referencing the three fatal shark attacks that have occurred in the area since 2017, as noted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The first of those incidents involved 17-year-old surfer Laeticia Brouwer, who lost her life to a great white shark.