Tributes pour in after teenage boy is mauled to death by shark in front of horrified dad

Tributes have been paid to a teenage boy who was mauled to death by a shark in front of his father as the pair surfed in southern Australia on Thursday.
Khai Cowley, 15, was pulled from the water near Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park after his leg was ripped off by what’s believed to have been a great white shark.
“I started moving down toward the beach and I could see the dad on the rocks sort of yelling and his son swimming towards him,” Tim Philip, a local surfer, told 7News.
Philip estimated that the shark was about 13 feet long.
“Then it started to head back out to sea. I was in waist-deep water and just made the decision to run back … chest-deep at this point, grab him and managed to drag him back to shore, back to the people on the beach.
READ MORE: John McEnroe set to get wish with Australia Open change to “absurd” rule
“It was just a matter of … I didn’t want to see his body out to sea, so did what I could,” he added.
Paramedics rushed to the scene to treat Cowley’s injuries but were ultimately unable to save him.
The boy had been on vacation at the popular tourist spot located off the Yorke Peninsula with his family before the horrific attack, 7News reports.
Tributes to the teenager poured in on social media, with one family friend writing: “A boy with so much potential. He will hold a place in everyone’s heart”, according to Sky News Australia.
Local residents have since spoken out about the dangers posed by sharks in the area, with one local fisherman saying they’re often seen along Marion Bay.
“We’ve seen some pretty big bronzies in the area, but that’s normal here,” he told the outlet. “I went to take the boat out and the road to Ethel’s was blocked by rangers.”
“There’s no cell reception out there in the park so we didn’t know what had happened until we got back to Marion Bay,” he added.
Only two weeks before his tragic death, Cowley was named “most outstanding grom performer” by Seaview Road Board Riders, his local surf club and was ranked 146th among under-18 surfers in Australia.
“Grom” or “grommet” is a Australian and Californian slang referring to young surfers.
Surfing South Australia said it was “shattered” by the news as it paid tribute to Cowley on Instagram.
“We are devastated to learn that a young, talented, and dearly loved member of our surfing community, was the surfer involved in the attack at Ethel Beach, and are absolutely shattered to hear that the incident was fatal,” the post read.
“Our utmost deepest sympathies are with his family”, the statement continued. “We ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy as they navigate such a heartbreaking time.”
Australia sees more shark attacks than any other country apart from the United States, according to the International Shark Attack File.