The search for the victim of a shark attack off Western Australia's south coast has been called off after three days, with the blessing of his heartbroken family.
Local surfer Andrew Sharpe was bitten by a shark at Kelp Beds Beach near Esperance on Friday morning.
Fellow surfers paddled out to try to save him, with one unsuccessfully trying to pull him from the bloodied water, according to reports.
Pieces of wetsuit and the man's surfboard have been recovered, but searchers including police divers, surf life savers, the State Emergency Service and an underwater vehicle team were unable to locate Mr Sharpe.
Authorities previously said they had lost hope of finding him alive, and on Sunday afternoon suspended the search for his body, unless new information came to light.
In a statement, Mr Sharpe's family said he was renowned for being a loyal mate and a loving father, life partner and brother.
"He was an experienced surfer of 40 years and he loved the ocean immensely," the statement said.
"He knew the risks and we knew the risks as well. They had been discussed often."
"He will be greatly missed by us all."
WA's south coast, particularly around Esperance, is a known breeding ground for great white sharks and home to large seal colonies.
Kelp Beds Beach was the site of a deadly shark mauling in 2017 when 17-year-old surfer Laeticia Brouwer was killed.
The government had taken extra safety measures to protect swimmers and surfers including helicopter patrols, monitoring stations and subsidised shark shields, WA Premier Mark McGowan said on Sunday.
"We have a range of shark mitigation measures in place across Western Australia, more than ever before, but whenever you go on the water you take a small risk and I think people understand that," he told reporters.
He said the Fisheries Minister would visit Esperance on Sunday to discuss what more could be done to lower the risk of attacks in the area.
"We need to look at enhanced tagging, particularly of great white sharks, to see if we can tag more so that the receivers can pick up more sharks if they're in the vicinity," he said.
Mr Gowan brushed off calls for baited drumlines to be put into the water, instead saying a "swimming enclosure" - likely shark nets - would be offered to the Esperance community to help tourists feel safer.
"I acknowledge that would not have prevented what occurred in relation to Mr Sharpe, but it may provide some help for the community in having confidence to swim in the ocean."
