Shark attack victim remembered as 'talented and dearly loved' young surfer

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An Adelaide teenager killed by a shark off south Australia's Yorke Peninsula is being remembered as a "talented and dearly loved" young surfer. Khai Cowley died in the attack on Thursday afternoon while surfing in rough conditions.

Transcript

00:00 A young life cut tragically short.

00:05 15-year-old Kai Cowley was surfing off the coast of Ethel Beach during stormy conditions

00:11 when he was attacked by what's believed to be a great white shark.

00:14 It's just shocking news.

00:16 I really can't believe it.

00:17 Just tragic.

00:18 At the remote beach, floral tributes are being left as the surfing community grapples with

00:23 its grief.

00:24 There's a little kid and there's always a go-getter.

00:25 I love to surf.

00:26 They're all for the family, the surfer family.

00:30 Come down and pay my respects to the young lad.

00:33 His love of surfing was such that he was out there yesterday.

00:35 You've got to realise it wasn't very good yesterday.

00:38 It was just basically white water surf, but his love was such that he wanted to be part

00:43 of that.

00:44 Tributes are also flowing online.

00:47 Surfing South Australia said it was devastated, saying Kai was a talented and dearly loved

00:52 member of the surfing community and described the teen as a happy, kind and respectful kid

00:58 who will be greatly missed.

01:00 Locals here on York Peninsula say they're shocked and devastated by the incident.

01:05 It's the latest of a spate of shark attacks that have occurred in South Australian waters

01:09 this year.

01:10 We have a very long coastline in South Australia.

01:13 It's more than New South Wales and Victoria put together.

01:17 Every so often, a human is going to interact with a shark and the shark is going to attack.

01:23 It's a tragedy.

01:24 The SA government says it has stepped up shark patrols around metropolitan beaches.

01:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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