December 17, 2004 - 11:07AM
Human remains were found in waters off Adelaide today as the search continued for a killer great white shark which took an 18-year-old surfer yesterday.
Two sightings were made today of the shark believed to have killed Nick Peterson while he was riding a surfboard behind a boat at popular West Beach yesterday afternoon.
Authorities now believe only one great white was involved in the attack after initially being told two sharks had grabbed Mr Peterson.
SA Sea Rescue Squadron spokesman Frasier Bell said the two sightings of the shark today were made at 6.15am (CDT) and 8.20am off the coast of the adjoining suburbs of Henley Beach and Grange.
Mr Bell said a police rescue boat today also picked up what were believed to be human remains.
"There has been a report that a police rescue boat picked up a small human remain, but we have not quite confirmed that yet," Mr Bell said.
He said the shark was believed to be about five metres long and had been in the area for past two or three weeks.
"We are assuming it was one, the one which we have seen here for the past few weeks," he said.
"It's my belief that there was only one involved but the lads were so traumatised that they might have thought there was another one."
Three 16-year-old friends of Mr Peterson witnessed the frenzied attack about 300 metres offshore.
At dawn today about 30 boats began a search of the coast for the shark and for any signs of the dead man's body.
"Conditions are excellent, which is why I believe this shark is still so close," Mr Bell said.
"Conditions are glassy flat and normally that's when you get them close in.
"But one of that size that we are dealing with at the moment is very, very rare, especially along the metropolitan beaches of Adelaide."
About half a dozen teenage friends of Mr Peterson gathered on West Beach this morning to pay their respects to the former Sacred Heart College student who had been working as a paver.
With temperatures in Adelaide today forecast to reach 35 degrees celsius, police stopped short of closing metropolitan beaches but instead issued warnings for beachgoers to consider their own safety.
But organisers of a youth sailing regatta off the Adelaide coast today and an open water swim scheduled for Sunday were expected to cancel the events.
The Age , one of our national papers, is keeping us better informed.
It has just been announced the government has given approval for the shark to be killed.
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