The 35-year-old British ex-pat mauled to death in Sydney's first fatal great white shark attack in 60 years was due to get married to his Australian girlfriend.
Simon Nellist was attacked while training for a charity ocean swim that was due to take place this weekend but has since been cancelled.
The four-metre-long shark struck while he was swimming at Buchan Point near Little Bay, Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.
Simon, who used to be in the RAF, has family in the UK and was getting ready to marry his Australian girlfriend, Jessie Ho, reports the Daily Star.
It's understood that their wedding was tragically delayed because of Covid.
Originally from Penzance in Cornwall, Simon moved to Australia and threw himself into water-based activities, including becoming a scuba instructor at a Sydney school.
Loved ones have flooded in with tributes to the man who was adored by everyone and who loved the ocean.
Beachgoers were said to have watched on helplessly as the shark mauled the victim to death, leaving one bystander "vomiting" in fear.
The victim died instantly from the "catastrophic injuries", police and ambulance services said.
“Everything that is connected to Simon is connected to the ocean,” friend Della Ross told 7NEWS.
“The news hit us like a truck because he was one of the people who make this earth lighter.”
Mr Nellist, who is reported to have a fiancee and family back home in the UK was soon to be married, according to the Australian media outlet.
He had been practising for an ocean swimming event planned for this weekend - but it has now been cancelled out of respect to the victim.
Eyewitnesses who watched on in horror claimed they had seen the shark "swallow parts of his body" and yelled across the beach "someone has just been eaten".
In a shocking video taken as the attack happened, people can be heard reacting as the tragedy unfolded before them.
One fisherman is heard shouting: "Someone just got eaten by a shark. Oh man! Oh no! That's insane. That's a great white shark.
"I just saw a four to five-metre great white explode on the surface right here on a swimmer and it was like a car landing in the water.
"F*** man, I heard a scream and the shark was just chomping on his body and the body was in half here just off the rocks.
"It came back and swallowed parts of his body and that was it."
He was one of 2,000 people who had signed up for the charity swim fundraiser, Malabar Magic Ocean Swim, which was due to be held on Sunday, February 20.
Now organisers have cancelled the event after Mr Nellist's remains were recovered from the water on Thursday.
Event Director Robert Lloyd said: “The organising committee extends our thoughts and prayers to the family of the swimmer who was so tragically taken yesterday.
“Out of respect for the swimmer and his family, and following wide consultation with Randwick Council and experienced senior Surf Life Saving personnel, we believe that cancelling the 2022 swim is appropriate.”
Patrols continue along the beach and SMART drumlines (Shark-Management-Alert-in-Real-Time) have been installed on beaches across the city.
Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said the Department of Primary Industries would work with the other authorities to determine if the killer shark - or any others - remained in the vicinity.
“The fisheries guys have already been out to the location of yesterday’s really unfortunate and just gut-wrenching attack to put smart drumlines in and they will be monitored throughout the day,” he told 2GB.
“Smart drumlines have really proven to be extremely successful and also tagging sharks to know exactly where they are and using our smart shark app, along with ... monitoring with drones.”
