The grieving family of a talented young surfer mauled to death by a shark have spoken publicly for the first time to pay tribute to the teenager.
Khai Cowley died on Thursday after his leg was bitten off at Ethel Beach in Innes National Park on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula.
His heartbroken grandfather Peter Barley said the family had been overwhelmed by the support of the close-knit community following the tragedy.
The local surf shop's flag remains at half-mast in memory of Khai.
“It hurts so much… I've honestly never seen people hurt like that… it's something you can see,” Mr Barley told Nine News.
“I keep thinking that at any moment he’s just going to keep walking out the front door.”
“We are a very close, strong family and we will get through this.”
Khai Cowley (pictured left with his grandfather Peter and uncle Adam) was killed by a shark while surfing on Thursday
Khai's uncle, Adam Barley, spent countless hours on the water with his nephew.
“The connection between Adam and Khai – witnessing that sometimes made me cry,” his grandfather added.
“When we were out in the water it was like magic.”
“The three of us together – it was magical.”
“Because of the love that comes his way, the tragedy is undone.”
Adam said his nephew never took a step back and was known as someone who always had fun and made others smile.
“He really made the most of his life, he didn’t waste a second,” Adam told The Advertiser.
“He was very brave, he surfed bigger waves than his father Tim.”
Khai was out on the water with his father on Thursday afternoon and was attacked by what was believed to be a great white shark.
The family of young surfer Khai Cowley, who was killed in a shark attack, say they are devastated by the boy's death. Pictured are his grandfather Peter Barley (left) and his uncle Adam (right).
He was trying to swim back to shore when a local man, Tim Philip, rushed into the surf to save him after seeing the young surfer struggling in the water.
Khai was already unconscious when Mr Philip reached him and dragged him back to shore.
“I would say the shark was four meters long,” Mr Philip said – and it was circling him,” he told Seven News.
“I was in waist deep water and I just made the decision to run back…grab him and managed to pull him back to shore, back to the people on the beach.”
Devastated residents are struggling to process the shocking incident – the area's first in known history.
Ryan Valente, a local skipper with Reef Encounters who knows the Marion Bay area well, said it was unusual to see great white sharks in the area and couldn't recall any similar incidents.
“This is the stuff nightmares are made of,” Mr Valente told ABC Radio on Friday.
“Yesterday it was a very gloomy day in terms of conditions – lightning, strong winds and it was quite a dark day.”
Khai's uncle Adam said the teenager (pictured) was brave and didn't waste a moment of his life
The talented surfer (pictured) was remembered as someone who was always having fun and making others smile
Sean Hanna, who has been coming to the beach for four decades, visited the beach Friday morning after learning of the boy's death.
He told the newspaper that he came to the beach to pay his respects to the boy and praised him for doing what he loved, although he said the conditions in the water were terrible at the time of the boy's murder Not ideal for teenagers.
Locals left flowers in Khai's memory and signed posters on the beach to remember the teenager.
The surfing community in the area plans to organize a paddling trip in Khai's honor and celebrate his love of the water.
Just two weeks before his death, Khai – who is ranked 146th among U18 surfers in Australia – was named “Most Outstanding Grom Performer” by his local surf club, Seaview Road Board Riders.
His grandfather said Khai wouldn't have stopped surfing if he had survived the attack, and said he still felt his grandson could walk out the front door.
An online fundraiser started by Khai's aunt has already raised more than $75,000 for funeral and other expenses in the difficult months ahead.
Khai (pictured) loved the water and spent countless hours surfing with his grandfather and uncle