A popular school teacher went missing Saturday and was feared dead after he was attacked by a shark while surfing off Australia’s southern coast.

Simon Baccanello, 46, was among more than a dozen surfers, including children, at Walkers Rock Beach on Eyre Peninsula — an area described by a local as “great white territory” – when he was reportedly mauled by one of the apex predators.

Witnesses told the local station 7NEWS that in his final moments, Baccanello tried to save others from the shark as it approached the group, telling his fellow surfers, “don’t worry, get yourself to shore.”

Jaiden Millar, who was among the surfers in the water during the shark attack, said he saw Baccanello “tombstoning,” meaning that the surfer had been knocked of his board and dragged so deep underwater that his board tipped upright and was left standing like a headstone.

Simon Baccanello, 46, a beloved school teacher from Elliston, South Australia, was reportedly attacked by a shark while surfing Saturday.Family Handout

Police and rescuers spent the weekend scouring Eyre Peninsula and resumed their search for Baccanello Monday.7News Australia

“He was gone,” Millar told Adelaide Advertiser. “[We] saw the shark just thrashing around out the back. The shark’s obviously let go and come back and got him for a third time.”

The brutal attack took place a little more than 100 feet offshore.

Baccanello has not been seen since, and police said they believe he has died.

A piece of wetsuit and chunks of polystyrene that possibly belonged to the missing man’s surf board have been found by emergency responders.

Video emerged of an “enormous” great white shark following a fishing boat last month in the area of Baccanello’s disappearance.9News

The items will be forensically examined to determine their origins.

Cops spent the weekend scouring the area with boats and helicopters for Baccanello’s remains and resumed their search Monday morning.

Superintendent Paul Bahr, Officer in Charge of Eyre and Western Local Service Area, said search efforts were currently focused on parts of the beach where Baccanello was attacked.

“The suggestion is that anything in the water will wash to shore rather than wash out to sea,” he said.

As the search of Baccanello continued, video emerged of an “enormous” great white shark that was spotted by boaters off South Australia’s coast last month.

Police have recovered a piece of wetsuit and chunks possibly belonging to a surfboard.7News Australia

“Out of nowhere, just this majestic and rather enormous great white shark slowly came to the surface,” fisherman Michael Scheffler told the outlet 9news.

Baccanello had just relocated to the city of Elliston in January and took a job teaching math, science and physical education at Elliston Area School.

Principal Chad Fleming said although Baccanello had been part of the local community for only a few months, he had come to be “adored” by his students and colleagues alike.

Baccanello was a math, science and physical education teacher at a school in Elliston, where he had just moved in January.

“He was just an absolute gem of a bloke, an absolutely dedicated teacher,” Fleming said. “I’ve known this guy for five months and I feel like we’ve been mates for 10 years.”

On Sunday, Baccanello’s family issued a brief statement, thanking community members for their support and asking for “privacy as they process this tragic loss.”

Source: nypost