This article requires pre-publication review by an uninvolved reviewer (one not substantially involved in writing the article). –Article last amended: Jan 13 at 12:24:56 UTC (history) |
| This article requires pre-publication review by an uninvolved reviewer (one not substantially involved in writing the article). –Article last amended: Jan 13 at 12:24:56 UTC (history) |
Monday, January 13, 2025
The search for the body of missing surfer Lance Appleby has been called off by police 11 days after his death. Appleby was 28 when he was fatally attacked by a great white shark on January 2, 2025, at Granites Beach, South Australia. The attack occurred over a year after another surfer was fatally attacked in the same spot.
In a statement issued on Monday, authorities announced the search had ended after two weeks. Despite the efforts of local and water police, STAR Group officers, local marine rescue, State Emergency Service volunteers and drones deployed to surface the area, Appleby’s body could not be found. The announcement came on the same day a memorial was held for Appleby, where he was remembered as having free spirit.
His sister, Gabrielle Appleby, said at the funeral, “He loved going surfing with dad and his mates. Being in the ocean, it really did bring him a lot of happiness.” His brother Kenneth Appleby also noted his love for being an uncle, saying, “He was either holding a baby, on the ground playing, pushing a pram – he did draw the line at changing nappies though.”
Lance was living on the Gold Coast but had returned home for the holiday. At Granites Beach, hundreds gathered over the weekend for a paddle out event to mourn his death. Kenneth had posted on social media, commenting that the family “would give anything to have him back,” and that “the pain we are feeling as a family is impossible to describe.” $120,000 was raised through a GoFundMe page set up to help the Appleby family.
Just hours before the shark attacked Lance, warning about a big and aggressive shark in the area had been shared on social media. Whether he knew about the warning is unclear. According to locals, Lance had caught a wave and was paddling back out when he was attacked. A jet skier attempted to come to Lance’s rescue but could only find his board. According to a family friend, the jet skier had confirmed that the board had a bite mark on the bottom of it and the rope had been severed in half.
