A teenage boy killed in a shark attack in South Australia has been named as 15-year-old surfer Khai Cowley.
His surfing club has described him as a "standout" talent, while others said he was "a beautiful soul" who "lit up any room he was in".
Khai was attacked by a suspected great white shark on Thursday, while surfing with his father off remote Ethel Beach on the Yorke Peninsula west of his hometown of Adelaide, authorities said.
He was brought to shore but emergency services were unable to revive him.
Khai's surfing club, Seaview Road Board Riders, expressed "disbelief and devastation" at his death, in a post on its Facebook page.
They described him as "a 3rd generation Roader" whose grandfather and uncle were also part of the club. It said all three had won awards at a recent surf festival, "in a special moment for their family".
"He was a standout. He helped the little groms [young surfers], made their trainings fun and they all looked up to him," said the post.
"You will live on in our hearts and memories. We will all miss you so much and will keep on shredding for you."
A Gofundme page has been set up by Khai's aunt, Lauryn Barley, to raise funds to help his parents pay for his funeral service.
"Beloved Khai...was suddenly taken from us by a white pointer while surfing at Ethel Wreck off the coast of Yorke Penisula," she wrote.
More than $53,000AUD (around £28,500) had been raised by Friday morning UK time.
One donor described Khai, who leaves behind his parents and a younger brother, as "a beautiful soul with a cheeky grin [who] lit up any room he was in". Another remembered him as "an amazing surfer".
Khai is the third surfer to be killed in shark attacks in the waters off South Australia state in recent months.
Surfers also died in shark attacks in the area in May and October. Their bodies were never recovered.
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said there have been 11 fatal shark attacks in the state's waters since 2000.
The fact three of those fatalities have occurred in the last seven months is "startling and is of concern," he told Nine Network television Friday.
Mr Malinauskas said there was little the government could do to make beaches safer outside Adelaide, the state capital and its most populous city.
Outside the state, a 16-year-old girl killed by a bull shark in a river in the west coast city of Perth in February was the only other fatal shark attack in Australia during 2023.
Adelaide-based shark expert Andrew Fox said the increase in shark attacks in South Australia this year, including two non-fatal attacks, was difficult to explain. He said overcast conditions like those at Ethel Beach on Thursday can embolden sharks to attack.
