Killer whales that attacked and killed a great white shark in South Australia last week are threatening to leave another casualty in their wake - tourism operators.

A family pod of killer whales stunned a group of divers last week when they attacked and killed a great white shark near the Neptune Islands off the coast of the Lower Eyre Peninsula.

Local cage diving operator Matt Waller said the region's great whites had vacated the area after the attack, leaving charter companies without their star performers.

He said similar events overseas had resulted in sharks staying away from the area for three to eight weeks but the length of time varied depending on the area.

"We had a trip on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and again today, and unfortunately, no great whites were seen," Mr Waller said.

"That's not to say they're not out there. They've just gone somewhere else."

Mr Waller said it was the first time since April last year that no sharks had been spotted in the region.

The situation was compounded by the fact three research buoys that offered an archival acoustic warning system to help track tagged resident sharks failed on January 26.

"The impact on Port Lincoln of this particular event is ongoing and it's not just Adventure Bay Charters, or one of the other shark cage diving operators, it's the bus companies, the maintenance guys, the caterers, the hotels and the accommodation and the taxis," Mr Waller said.

"Everyone is going to feel the impact of this because we're literally having customers abandoning ship.

"We're being open and honest with people and saying it's a two-week thing and the chances are slim.

Mr Waller said the company had asked people to delay their trip.

"We're working frantically with the State Department for the Environment to try and allow us access to other sites further afield."

"It is not something that can happen slowly.

"We need to make a decision fairly quickly. The environment snuck up and pulled a swifty on us and we need to be able to shift with that."

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources said their scientists were "of the opinion that the absence was temporary and that great white sharks would return to the area".

"For that reason we don't think an alternative location is necessary," she said

"We will continue to work with the operators to monitor shark behaviour in the area."