The grief-stricken family of a Brit swimmer killed by a 13 feet great white shark in Australia has said that he would not want the animal killed.
A hunt is on by Australian authorities for the shark that struck on Wednesday killing Simon Nellist, 35, and it has led to Sydney beaches being closed as a precaution.
It was the first shark fatality for nearly 60 years in the area and onlookers watched from the beach in horror as the predator pounced from under the water.
Drum lines, which are used to bait sharks, have been set up near the attack site while drones have been deployed as officials search in case the shark is still in the area.
A video shared online showed a shark attacking a person on Wednesday afternoon off Little Bay beach, about 12 miles south of Australia's largest city and near the entrance to Botany Bay.
Simon Nellist, a former RAF pilot, had been training for the Malabar ocean swim when he was attacked, according to Australian media reports.
He grew up in Penzance, Cornwall, but after serving two tours in Afghanistan he moved to Australia and was due to marry the "girl of his dreams" Jessica Ho.
A lover of animals, his aunt Jacqui Seager, 62, said that he wouldn’t want the shark to now be destroyed.
“I don’t think Simon would want the shark to be killed. He loved nature,” she said, reported the Daily Mail.
"He swam with sharks before. This isn't the first time he's gone out and seen them but he would still go out swimming. That's brave. I don't think he ever thought they would hurt him. Sadly, this time it managed to get to him."
She said how he would go out swimming most days and that the family was now devastated, claiming his parents “will never get through this, ever, as this is something you keep with you for life.”
Mrs Seager stressed: "Simon always loved the sea. He was always very close to it. He loved wildlife and the world. He had a real love affair with nature. He was a very kind and considerate man who just loved life. He was a strong guy and did two tours of Afghanistan. His mum said how could he return from the frontline unscathed to then go to Australia, go out for a swim and get killed."
Similarly a friend, Della Ross, told 7NEWS after the attack: "Everything that is connected to Simon is connected to the ocean.
"The news hit us like a truck because he was one of the people who make this earth lighter."
Meanwhile a shark expert who said he was horrified by the "severity and ferocity" of the Sydney tragedy - says it would be pointless to now kill the animal.
Marine biologist Larry Chlebeck said he thinks the shark may have mistaken him for a seal and calls for it to be culled were ill-informed and would serve no purpose.
"The shark involved is most likely a great white, a highly migratory species that will be hundreds of kilometres away by now. It will not be accustomed to the taste of humans, that is a myth," he said.
"It was most likely disappointed that it hadn't struck a seal. Were it to be found and killed, there will be no benefit to anyone involved other than the psyche of the ignorant."
Mr Chlebeck - who has a postgraduate degree working with sharks - also spoke about why the fatal attack, the first of its kind in Sydney in almost 60 years, was so unusual.
He said: "I am shocked and saddened and my heart goes out to the victim and their family.
"While tragic, these incidents are extremely rare. The vast majority of them are one and done bites and also not fatal.
"Even among shark bites, it was unusual in its ferocity and severity.
"Honestly, 99,999 times out of 100,000 a shark ignores or is deterred by the presence of a human. We are not normal prey items. Any bite at all is an extremely rare occurrence, this one even more so."
