Transcript

Marine experts are trying to soothe anxieties after a fatal shark attack on the Great Barrier Reef this week. An 18-year-old man was killed while spearfishing.

Scientists say it's highly unusual, and as investigations continue, hundreds of locals gathered by the water at Port Douglas yesterday to pay tribute to the popular teenager who was killed.

Peter McCutcheon reports from North Queensland.

JULIA LEU, MAYOR OF DOUGLAS SHIRE: There isn't a family in Douglas Shire that has not been affected by this. He was a much-loved son, a very popular friend.

TERRY VIDITO, FAMILY FRIEND: He was a boy's boy and we would have been a man's man. He was one of the blokes if you were in the trenches, you'd want him to be there.

MATT WESTGATE, FRIEND: I just wish he was here to see how many people really cared for him and loved him. You know, like, there's so many people here - look, they all loved him and we're all going to miss him so badly.

PETER MCCUTCHEON, REPORTER: The death of 18-year-old Daniel Smith, killed by a shark near Port Douglas in Far North Queensland two days earlier, has brought this community together in deep sorrow.

Friends posted on Facebook the idea of a candlelight vigil at the local wharf and supporters turned up in their hundreds.

For Daniel's girlfriend, Taylor Killeen, who's only just finished Year 11, it's a great comfort.

TAYLOR KILLEEN: It means everything 'cause, hell, there's a lot of people here tonight.

FRIEND: Support is everything that you need. And Taylor's got us all behind her, and so does the family.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: Daniel Smith was spearfishing with friends off Rudder Reef on Monday morning when he was attacked by a shark.

It took just over two hours to get him back to this wharf, where paramedics pronounced him dead.

GREG THIEDECKE, QLD AMBULANCE SERVICE (Monday): He received some injuries from a shark bite, massive injuries to his right upper leg, right groin and right arm. A lot of large blood vessels in the groin area, so, for him to go into cardiac arrest that quickly, it would be probably blood loss. And that's - if you lose all your blood, you can't live, basically.

MARK MEEKAN, AUST. INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE: Look, this is an incredibly unusual event. The chances of getting attacked by a shark on the Great Barrier Reef are incredibly low - very, very low. Statistically, you're far more likely to die in a car accident or be in a car accident you ever are likely to be attacked by a shark.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: While the exact circumstances of the attack are being examined by the coroner, experts in the field agree on one thing: of all activities on the Great Barrier Reef likely to attract sharks, spearfishing is at the top of the list.

COL MCKENZIE, MARINE PARK TOURISM OPERATORS: When you're on the Barrier Reef and you're spearing, you're going to have encounters with sharks. Legs, I've had my fins bitten off a couple of times when the shark has come in behind me and dragged me backwards. But the - it's just part of the sport of spearfishing on the Barrier Reef where we have these magnificent animals, the animal's just simply responding to its normal stimuli.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: Col McKenzie is a diving instructor and heads the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators. He says the last fatal shark attack on the Reef, more than a decade ago, also involved a spearfisherman. On that occasion, the diver wasn't following the best safety practice of getting the speared fish out of the water as soon as possible.

COL MCKENZIE: And he had bait hanging off his weight belt and - right out near Opal Reef, not far from where this latest fatality occurred, and he got taken and we think by a bronze whaler, which are a very, very aggressive shark and that's 'cause he had the bait sitting right beside him.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: It's still unclear what type of shark took Daniel Smith's life.

MARK MEEKAN: There's two real candidates. One's a tiger shark and the other is some sort of Reef whaler shark. There's lots of different species of whalers out there and they're not that scared of people, they interact with - if you're spearfishing, you'll see them a lot and they can be quite dangerous.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: For the family of Daniel Smith, this is not the time to delve into the details, but to commemorate a young life.

What sort of person was Daniel?

TAYLOR KILLEEN: The best. Smiley, fun and happy.

FRIEND: He always made everyone smile, even if he was sad, except he wasn't. He was never sad. He was always the happiest and craziest person you'll ever meet.

FRIEND II: (Inaudible) far too soon, brother, and it's a bit unfair, but, mate, we know you're here in spirit. We love you.

MATT WESTGATE: We know you're here, brother, watching over us and I'll never forget ya, mate, the times we shared.

TERRY VIDITO: It just goes to show about when you live in a small community, the love and the affection that goes around. That's why we moved to the community. All the boys know each other, it's a family and they'll be friends for life and that's what tonight's all about, I think.

LEIGH SALES: Peter McCutcheon reporting.