British man, 35, is mauled to death by a great white shark in Sydney
The British diving instructor killed by a great white shark in Sydney had previously objected to protective nets around beaches - six months before his tragic death ahead of a wedding to the 'girl of his dreams'.
Simon Nellist was attacked from below by the 13ft-long predator at Buchan Point near Little Bay about 500ft from the beach yesterday afternoon. His remains and pieces of a wetsuit were found in the water an hour later.
The 35-year-old, who was attacked while training for a charity swim, was a former Royal Air Force engineer who was due to marry his fiancée after the pandemic delayed their wedding which had been due to take place in 2021.
Mr Nellist swam in the area daily but was against the idea of bringing in protection for swimmers because of the risk to wildlife. He wrote on Facebook on August 11 last year: 'Shark net and drum lines protect no one and kill all kinds of marine life each year.'
Friends revealed today that the 6ft 5in experienced ocean swimmer loved being in the water and lived in the Sydney suburb of Wolli Creek with his Australian fiancée Jessie Ho, who was described as the 'girl of his dreams'.
Mr Nellist, who was originally from Penzance in Cornwall where his family still live today, was said to have fallen in love with Australia after going travelling about six years ago following two years serving in the RAF.
A friend told The Sun: 'Him and Jessie were due to get married last year but that got put off because of Covid. It's just horrendous. We spent most of yesterday just hoping and praying it wasn't him. It's still incredibly raw.
'Simon was amazing. That's all there is to say really. He was just the best. He was the nicest, kindest human. It is a huge loss. In the last couple of years we haven't been able to see him because of the Covid situation.'
The friend added that Mr Nellist 'did some pretty big tours' while serving with the RAF, and has not been back to the UK for a few years. His father Michael Nellist is a retired dentist and his mother is called Rosemary.
His friend Della Ross told 7 News: 'Everything that is connected to Simon is connected to the ocean. The news hit us like a truck because he was one of the people who make this earth lighter. He loved the water, he loved diving.'
He previously played a victim in diving rescue scenarios with scuba diving school Scubathlon, which is run by Ms Ross whose son Dmitriy drowned while freediving in Brighton Le Sands in 2018 after he got caught in shark nets.
Mr Nellist also lived for a short time in York around six years ago, and one of his neighbours there told MailOnline: 'He was a nice guy, a big, strapping bloke and at that time he was an engineer in the RAF. When I saw his name on the news I wondered whether it was the same guy. It's unbelievable, a real tragedy for him and his family.'
One friend told MailOnline: 'Simon was the most wonderful man. Our son's godfather f
The British diving instructor killed by a great white shark in Sydney had previously objected to protective nets around beaches - six months before his tragic death ahead of a wedding to the 'girl of his dreams'.
Simon Nellist was attacked from below by the 13ft-long predator at Buchan Point near Little Bay about 500ft from the beach yesterday afternoon. His remains and pieces of a wetsuit were found in the water an hour later.
The 35-year-old, who was attacked while training for a charity swim, was a former Royal Air Force engineer who was due to marry his fiancée after the pandemic delayed their wedding which had been due to take place in 2021.
Mr Nellist swam in the area daily but was against the idea of bringing in protection for swimmers because of the risk to wildlife. He wrote on Facebook on August 11 last year: 'Shark net and drum lines protect no one and kill all kinds of marine life each year.'
Friends revealed today that the 6ft 5in experienced ocean swimmer loved being in the water and lived in the Sydney suburb of Wolli Creek with his Australian fiancée Jessie Ho, who was described as the 'girl of his dreams'.
Mr Nellist, who was originally from Penzance in Cornwall where his family still live today, was said to have fallen in love with Australia after going travelling about six years ago following two years serving in the RAF.
A friend told The Sun: 'Him and Jessie were due to get married last year but that got put off because of Covid. It's just horrendous. We spent most of yesterday just hoping and praying it wasn't him. It's still incredibly raw.
'Simon was amazing. That's all there is to say really. He was just the best. He was the nicest, kindest human. It is a huge loss. In the last couple of years we haven't been able to see him because of the Covid situation.'
The friend added that Mr Nellist 'did some pretty big tours' while serving with the RAF, and has not been back to the UK for a few years. His father Michael Nellist is a retired dentist and his mother is called Rosemary.
His friend Della Ross told 7 News: 'Everything that is connected to Simon is connected to the ocean. The news hit us like a truck because he was one of the people who make this earth lighter. He loved the water, he loved diving.'
He previously played a victim in diving rescue scenarios with scuba diving school Scubathlon, which is run by Ms Ross whose son Dmitriy drowned while freediving in Brighton Le Sands in 2018 after he got caught in shark nets.
Mr Nellist also lived for a short time in York around six years ago, and one of his neighbours there told MailOnline: 'He was a nice guy, a big, strapping bloke and at that time he was an engineer in the RAF. When I saw his name on the news I wondered whether it was the same guy. It's unbelievable, a real tragedy for him and his family.'
One friend told MailOnline: 'Simon was the most wonderful man. Our son's godfather f
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