Olivia Johnson watched in horror as her father Damian, of Hobart, was attacked by a shark off Triabunna, near Maria Island, early on Saturday

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The family of a man killed by a shark as he dived for scallops with his daughter off Tasmania’s east coast have said they are opposed to any shark cull.

Olivia Johnson watched in horror as her father Damian, of Hobart, was attacked by a shark in waters off Triabunna, near Maria Island, early on Saturday.

When he failed to surface, Olivia, aged in her 20s, went back down to check on her father and saw him in the shark’s jaws. He was pulled up by his air hose, but had suffered fatal injuries.

Local residents told reporters that sharks near the popular tourist and fishing spot should be culled, but Johnson’s brothers-in-law, Andrew and David Paynter, dismissed that suggestion.





Police keep watch on Tasmania's east coast after fatal shark attack Read more

“That’s ridiculous, no,” Andrew told the Nine Network.

David said: “He loved the water. Loved nature. I don’t think he would want anyone to change the way they felt about what they were passionate about.”

David remembered Johnson as “just a great bloke, really devoted family man. Great father, great husband.”

Glamorgan Spring Bay mayor Michael Kent said the area was not known for sharks, but some divers had reported spotting a white pointer in the past week.

“It was one or two days ago and a couple of divers say there was a shark and it brushed past them,” he said on Sunday.

Kent said the area was better known at this time of year for whale sightings and the opening of the scallop season.

Police and some local fishing boats patrolled the water on Sunday and people were warned to stay out of the water.

Kent said the local community was devastated for the victim’s family.

“The community is still in shock. Nobody’s actually talking about it. They are just in awe of what’s happened,” he said.