Samuel Zachary KELLETT

  

 

CORONERS ACT, 2003

FINDING OF INQUEST

 

                                    An Inquest taken on behalf of our Sovereign Lady the Queen at  Adelaide in the State of South Australia, on the  29th day of September 2015 and the 18th day of August 2016, by the Coroner’s Court of the said State, constituted of  into the death of  Samuel Zachary Kellett.

The said Court finds that  Samuel Zachary Kellett aged  28  years, late of  4/60 Kenilworth Road, Parkside, South Australia died at  Goldsmith Beach, Edithburgh, South Australia on the  8th day of February 2014 as a result of  injuries sustained in a shark attack.  The said Court finds that the circumstances were as follows:

1.               Introduction

1.1.          Samuel Zachary Kellett, aged 28 years, died on 8 February 2014.  Mr Kellett was an avid spear-fishing and diving enthusiast.  On the weekend of Sunday, 9 February 2014 Mr Kellett and some fellow spear-fishing enthusiasts were to take part in the Yorke Peninsula Classic Spear Fishing Competition.

2.               The events of 8 February 2014

2.1.          At approximately 9:30am on Saturday, 8 February 2014 the group arrived at Goldsmith Beach.  Due to the rugged nature of this particular piece of coastline it is rarely used by beachgoers. 

They began preparation for their dive, donning a two-piece camouflage wetsuit, weight belt, fins, snorkel and mask, spear-gun and float line.  Mr Kellett equipped himself with an orange coloured Rob Allen float with a float line.  The float had a blue and white flag, a stringer line and a drop attached to it.  Approximately three hours into the dive the wind began to pick up significantly.  Mr Kellett and the rest of

1.1.          the group decided to swim back towards the high water mark near where their vehicles were parked.  The group was swimming on the surface towards shore in about 5 to 6 metres of water.  Mr Kellett's two friends were slightly ahead of him.  Mr Raymount, one of his diving companions, heard a scream and looked across the surface of the water.  He saw a shark thrashing about in the exact spot where he had seen Mr Kellett only moments earlier.  Mr Raymount stated as follows:

‘After I saw the fish thrashing I looked under the water and saw the shark.  From what I saw I assumed the shark had Sam, I didn’t see Sam, however it was in the exact position that I had last seen Sam.  It was thrashing and moving around a bit.  I saw the shark vertical with its tail towards the bottom and its head near the surface.’ [1]

1.2.          Mr Aaron Whitaker, another diver, gave the following account:

‘As we were swimming in I was on the surface and heard Wyatt yell out to me.  I just heard him yell, I didn’t hear what he said.  It made me turn around back out to sea and as I turned around I saw the tail of a shark come out of the water and it was thrashing around.  The tail was about five (5) metres away from me.  I saw Wyatt right behind me and where I saw the tail was about the same distance as where I saw Sam just moments before.  The tail disappeared beneath the surface.

I was looking behind me out to sea where I had seen the tail.  I would swim and kick a couple of strokes then look back again to make sure the shark wasn’t coming for me.  After the tail thrashing it was maybe five (5) seconds that I noticed a shadow under the water behind me.  I thought it was a shark at first.  The shadow was only about five (5) metres behind me.

I put my face under the water to see the shark but couldn’t see it.  All of a sudden a white pointer shark came out of the murky water, vertically towards the surface just behind me and it almost launched itself out of the water.

I saw it grab something but because it was maybe five (5) to seven (7) metres away it was at furthest that I could see with the visibility in the water I couldn’t make out what the shark had grabbed.  After the shark came up I saw a lot of blood in the water.  I saw the shark right near Sam’s float and I knew Sam was at his float when I first saw the shark.  Although I didn’t actually see the shark grabbing Sam I am sure that the shark took him judging by how close the shark was to his float.’ [2]

1.3.          Nicholas Carlson was another member of the group:

‘At about 11:45am I was about fifty (50) metres out from the beach and I had a couple of friends around me in the water.  Sam Kellett was a bit further out near a buoy about 20-25 metres out further from my point.  I was floating near the surface of the water when I could hear yelling while I was under the water.  I couldn’t tell what was being said at all.  I surfaced facing south and saw the back of a tail thrashing side to side in the water.  It

was causing big splashes of water at the time.  The tail was grey in colour.  At first I thought it was a dolphin because I had seen a few during our dive.

I can’t remember how long the tail was thrashing for but it wasn’t long and then I saw the whole body of a shark so I saw the whole body jump out of the water.  I think the shark was about five (5) metres long and it was a dark grey colour.  It looked like a great white shark.  It all happened so fast.  When the shark went to dive back down it made large splashes and the water all around was bright red like blood.  I didn’t see Sam at all during the attack.  After the shark disappeared the blood still remained in the water and Sam was nowhere to be seen.’ [1]

1.1.          Later in that day police Water Operations members conducted a dive search in a circular search pattern in the immediate vicinity.  During the search they located two weight ingots used in free diving.  They also located a Rob Allen spear-gun which was still loaded.  The spear-gun has been confirmed as that used by Mr Kellett.

1.2.          Those items had readily discernible serrated incisions upon them.  These markings have been examined by Mr Russ Bradford[2].  He holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Marine and Antarctic Sciences and he has been working with Mr Barry Bruce, a leading shark expert, researching white sharks for about the past decade.  He concluded that the marks were consistent with white shark teeth impressions.  No human remains have ever been located.

2.               Conclusion

2.1.          In the circumstances I have no hesitation in finding that Mr Kellett was attacked by a shark on 8 February 2014, in the region of Goldsmith Beach and that he died as a result of the attack.


 

In witness whereof the said Coroner has hereunto set and subscribed  FORMDROPDOWN  hand and

 

Seal the 18th day of  FORMTEXT August,  FORMTEXT 2016.

 

Sam Kellett 'Swallowed Whole By 16ft Great White Shark'

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Posted: Updated:

An inquest has heard how a teacher was virtually swallowed whole by a great white shark.

Sam Kellett was spearfishing off the coast of Adelaide in February 2014 with friends when he was attacked by the 16ft long shark.

The 28-year-old's body was never found but police water operations divers did recover two lead weights and a spear gun with “discernible serrated incisions” consistent with white shark teeth impressions, News.com.au reports.

In a witness statement Aaron Whitaker said he heard one of the divers yell out during the attack.

He said: “It made me turn around back out to sea and as I turned around I saw the tail of a shark come out of the water and it was thrashing around.

“I put my face under the water to see the shark but I could not see it.

“All of a sudden a white pointer shark came out the murky water vertically towards the surface just behind me and almost launched itself out of the water.”

Wyatt Raymount told the inquest he saw the shark in the spot where Kellett had been, surrounded by a large pool of blood.

He said: "I did not see Sam, however it was in the exact position I had last seen Sam."

In a statement, Kellet’s parents refused to blame the shark that killed their son.

They said: “He knew he was a visitor in their backyard and the last thing he would want is for this shark, or any other, to be hunted down and culled.”

Kellett, a teacher at Glenunga International high School, was described by principal Wendy Johnson as "a wonderful young man.

Speaking weeks after the attack, she told Adelaide Now: “We have been in close contact with the family and we wanted them to know Sam was, for us, the future of teaching.

“We were very lucky to have him here ... he was very special.”

The inquest continues.

 

School teacher Sam Kellett was killed by great white shark off Yorke Peninsula, State Coroner finds

AS SA school teacher Sam Kellett was spearfishing off the Yorke Peninsula coast, he screamed. When his friends look around, and instead of Sam, they saw a shark. Now an inquest has handed down its findings.

 
August 18, 2016 - 4:08PM Advertiser

 

AN inquest into the death of a spear fisherman who disappeared in waters off the Yorke Peninsula coast has found he was taken by a great white shark.

Glenunga International High School teacher Sam Kellett, 28, was freediving with friends and fellow spearfishermen off Goldsmith Beach, 10km southwest of Edithburgh, in February 2014 when he vanished.

His body has never been found.

An inquest into his death held by State Coroner Mark Johns in September last year heard eye witness accounts from Mr Kellett’s friends of what happened on the day.

They recalled how they were in 5-6m deep water when they heard a scream and saw a shark thrashing about in the spot where Mr Kellett had been seen moments earlier.

Diver Aaron Whitaker recalled how the shark, estimated to be 5m long, launched itself vertically through the water during the attack.

“I put my face under the water to see the shark but couldn’t see it. All of a sudden a white pointer shark came out of the murky water, vertically towards the surface just behind me and it almost launched itself out of the water,” he said.

“I saw it grab something but because it was maybe 5-7 metres away it was at furthest that I could see with the visibility in the water I couldn’t make out what the shark had grabbed.

“After the shark came up I saw a lot of blood in the water. I saw the shark right near Sam’s float and I knew Sam was at his float when I first saw the shark.

“Although I didn’t actually see the shark grabbing Sam I am sure that the shark took him judging by how close the shark was to his float.”

Police divers found two weights and a loaded spear gun that belonged to Mr Kellett during a search after his disappearance.

The items had incisions on them, which Mr Johns said had been examined by shark experts who had concluded the markings were consistent with white shark teeth.

In his findings handed down on Thursday, Mr Johns said he had “no hesitation” in concluding that Mr Kellett was attacked by a shark and that he died as a result.