Shark victim Steven Payne was on trip of a lifetime before being killed in front of horrified partner

A surfer mauled to death by a shark on a remote beach near Esperance was on the trip of a lifetime when he was killed in front of his devastated partner. Steven Payne was four weeks into a six-month holiday with his partner and dog when he was killed at Wharton Beach just after midday on Monday. The 37-year-old from Melbourne was in the water just 50m from shore when the shark, believed to be a great white, attacked. Sen. Sgt Christopher Taylor, officer in charge of Esperance police station, said on Tuesday that two surfers — whom Mr Payne had met on his travels — were by his side when the predator struck from nowhere. “There was absolutely nothing they could do,” Sen. Sgt Taylor said. Mr Payne’s partner and dog could only watch on in horror from the shore. “The partner observed what happened yesterday, which is tragic, and you can imagine how they (the fellow surfers) and the partner feel,” Sen. Sgt Taylor said. He said that drone footage of the aftermath of the attack had helped police piece together what happened. The drone was understood to have been launched by two young women in a nearby carpark before they accidentally captured pools of blood and the shark in the water. The footage was deleted by the women after they gave it to police. Sen-Sgt Taylor said it was “tragic to watch”. “It shows a lot of blood, the shark and some other things in there that I don’t think anybody else needs to see except for maybe the Coroner and other experts who will determine the type of shark and size,” he said. Mr Payne’s body has not been recovered. His surfboard — which is covered in bite marks — has been seized by police and is being stored at Esperance police station as authorities work to identify the species of shark. “This is a coronial investigation now, I’m quite sure of that,” Sen. Sgt Taylor said. “The surfboard has been seized for the Coroner and we’ll give that to DPIRD for their scientists to test . . . to tell the Coroner what sort of shark and how big it was.” A large-scale search involving Volunteer Marine Rescue, State Emergency Service, police and fisheries officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development was launched on Monday afternoon. Sen. Sgt Taylor said he expected Wharton Beach would be open again on Wednesday. “After what we observed yesterday and in the witness accounts, I don’t think there’s much point utilising all the resources that we have at the moment too much longer,” he said. “I’ll consult with the SES and their marine rescue experts and get their feeling on what’s happened, and you’ve seen what they have been doing all day. There’s only so much of the bay you can keep searching over and over. “At the moment we haven’t recovered anything. I’ll discuss that with the experts and we will call that sometime this afternoon.” Sen. Sgt Taylor said Mr Payne’s partner’s life had been “turned upside down” after seeing the shark attack. “We are in constant contact with the partner. She is distraught,” he said. “Her life was turned upside down yesterday and you can only imagine how she is. It’s just horrible.” Mr Payne’s family members are making their way to WA from the Eastern States. “It is heartbreaking,” Sen. Sgt Taylor said. “The whole community of Esperance feels the pain — but not as much as the family obviously. “They are distraught and trying to come to terms with what happened. “As a community within Esperance, we’ve been through this before. It hurts a lot. “You can see behind me the beautiful Wharton Beach — and there’s many other beaches in Esperance like that. “And these unfortunate occurrences occur, thankfully not that regular. This community is hurting.” Sen. Sgt Taylor said Mr Payne’s family — including his partner — did not want the shark that attacked him killed. Police Commissioner Col Blanch said chaplains and psychologists had been made available to Mr Payne’s family and witnesses. A marine rescue boat was circling the crystal blue waters near where the attack occurred as the response moved into recovery mode on Tuesday. Two fisheries officers were seen walking in nearby bushland, with one officer taking photos of the coastline. Police were entering roadblocks as tourists continued to take photos of the beach from afar. French bloggers Etienne Changarnier and Melanie Chevillié, both 31, stopped at Wharton Beach on Monday afternoon hours after the attack. The pair, who are travelling the world and posting their adventures to nearly 100,000 Instagram followers, said one man, who was believed to have been present during the attack, was sitting on the beach looking “devastated”. “We saw the (marine rescue) boat, police and the 4WD’s searching,” Mr Changarnier said. But it wasn’t until Tuesday morning they found out it was more serious than they had thought. “This is shocking, to be honest, I don’t want to swim,” he said. Esperance Shire said Wharton Beach and nearby Little Wharton Beach remained closed on Tuesday, though there was no blockade at Little Wharton and cars were seen parking on the sand throughout the day. A few tourists and locals were still venturing into the water at Little Wharton Beach. One Perth man was completely unaware the surfer had been fatally killed less than 24 hours before nearby. “Well that changes things,” he said when asked if he was entering the water. He was later photographed looking out into the depths as the water reached his feet. Another pair of tourists were adamant they would still enter the water — even if it was only at ankle height. A spokeswoman from DPIRD said the recovered surfboard would be taken to Perth, where a scientific analysis would try to confirm the species and size of shark involved. “This process can take some time,” she said. The Shire of Esperance issued a statement on Tuesday saying “our hearts go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the victim in this incident”. Roe MP Peter Rundle said the tragedy was compounded by the drowning over the summer at Hellfire Bay, but he would be gauging community sentiment for what response was needed from Government. “Some people are suggesting that drum lines need to be employed, and other people are not wanting to go down that route,” he said. “We need to have another close look at it, because there’s been too many attacks for the community’s liking.” A State Government spokesperson said the tragedy would have a “profound impact” on the Esperance community. “WA has one of the strongest shark hazard mitigation programs in the country, with a comprehensive range of measures to keep ocean users safe,” they said. “In the Esperance region there are four shark monitoring receivers, which alert the community to tagged sharks in the area. “This is complemented by DPIRD’s shark tagging program, which operates in Esperance every summer. “In addition, a beach enclosure was constructed in at the James Street Groyne in 2021, creating a protected swimming area for the community. “We continue to be guided by fisheries scientists as we assess the most effective measures and build on our mitigation response.”