Torn pieces of a wetsuit are discovered during increasingly desperate search for missing surfer mauled by a shark after his board washed up on shore
- Andrew Sharpe, a father of two, is believed to have been attacked by a shark
- He was surfing at Kelp Beds, on Western Australia's south coast, at about 11am
- Witnesses saw the shark knock Mr Sharpe off his board and fling him into the air
- Two pieces of a wetsuit were found believed to be belonging to Mr Sharpe
- Police say they have no hope of finding the beloved surfer and father alive
The search for a missing surfer mauled by a shark has taken a grim turn after pieces of a torn wetsuit were found in the area he disappeared from.
Andrew Sharpe, a father-of-two known as 'Sharpey', was surfing at Kelp Beds in Wylie Bay, near Esperance on Western Australia's south coast, when he was 'flung into the air' at 11am on Friday.
Mr Sharpe hasn't been seen since, with his surfboard later washing up on the beach with bite marks on it.
After two days without any sign of the local, police have now said they don't hold any hope of finding him alive.
'We don't hold any ongoing hope unfortunately for Mr Sharpe's survival,' Senior Sergeant Justin Tarasinski told reporters on Saturday afternoon.
A search party was called off at 2pm on Saturday due to bad weather but it is expected to resume at first light on Sunday.
Two pieces of a wetsuit were found in the same area that Mr Sharpe went missing on Saturday but police say DNA testing will be required.
His surfboard was washed ashore on Friday with 'obvious signs of shark attack'.
'We'll continue on for as long as we possibly can… and that's about trying to bring some closure to Mr Sharpe's family,' Sergeant Tarasinski said.
Mr Sharpe was bumped off his board by the shark before being dragged down into the water, the West Australian was told.
Around eight surfers are believed to have witnessed the horror attack.
Sergeant Tarasinski said search teams including divers were in the water from 8.30am on Saturday.
'The dive team were conducting their searches from the back of the Surf Life Saving jetskis as opposed to diving in the water and that's due to the risk,' he said.
Andrew Sharpe, a reported father-of-two, was attacked by a shark while surfing at Kelp Beds in Wylie Bay (pictured), on Western Australia's south coast, just before 11am on Friday morning
'We'll continue on for as long as we possibly can with the resources that we have.
'They're desperate to bring closure to Mr Sharpe's family.'
Locals had even taken to the water in vessels in the hopes of finding the 'much loved' surfer.
Mr Sharpe was out with a group of friends when his mates saw the father fall off his board, 7NEWS reported.
Six different organisations took to the popular Wylie Bay (pictured), near Esperance, on Friday to search for Mr Sharpe but authorities said chances of his survival were 'pretty slim'
Witnesses also reported spotting a massive shark with a dorsal fin as big as a metre high.
'The chances of survival are obviously pretty slim considering some of the accounts that have been provided to us,' Sergeant Tarasinski said earlier.
'There were a number of other surfers in the waters and some of them did paddle to try and render some assistance but unfortunately they were not in a position to do so.'
WA Premier Mark McGowan on Friday described it as a 'very serious' situation.
'Unfortunately he hasn't been recovered at this point in time,' Mr McGowan said.
Mr McGowan said WA's south coast, particularly around Esperance, was a known breeding ground for great white sharks and home to large seal colonies.
He said the government had taken extra safety measures to protect swimmers and surfers, including helicopter patrols, monitoring stations and subsidised shark shields.
Chairman of the Esperance Ocean Safety and Support Group, Mitchell Capelli, said he was left shaking after hearing of the attack on Mr Sharpe.
Mr Sharpe was surfing with a group of friends at Wylie Bay (map pictured) when witnesses claim he was knocked off his board by the shark and flung into the air before disappearing
Mr Sharpe's surfboard washed up on the shore but he has not been found (file image pictured)
'We're devastated — he was a local legend,' Mr Capelli told The West Australian.
The chairman called for stronger measures to be implemented to protect the community against sharks.
17-year-old Laeticia Brouwer (pictured) was mauled to death at the same beach by a great white shark in 2017
'Plain and simple the balance of nature is out of whack.
'We're dealing with something that didn't just take one bite, it bumped him, bit him and took him down. It shouldn't be in the ocean anymore,' he said.
Six different organisations were involved in Mr Sharpe's rescue operation, including Esperance Police, Surf Life Saving WA and Marine Rescue Esperance.
Esperance has had several other shark attacks in recent years.
Gary Johnson who was diving off the Esperance coast near Cull Island in January was killed when he was bitten by a shark.
In 2017, 17-year-old Laeticia Brouwer was mauled to death at the same beach by a great white shark.
Laeticia died after her left leg was ripped off at the hip by the shark as she surfed off the coast with her father.
Her parents at the time called for the beach to be made safer, saying they wanted people to be able to use beaches with 'minimal risk and fear'.
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