An experienced scuba diver killed by a white shark off Western Australia’s southern coast was at home in the ocean and believed if he ever was attacked he would be unlucky, his grieving wife says.
Gary Johnson had just entered the water when he was mauled about 1 p.m. local time on Sunday near Cull Island, close to West Beach in Esperance.
His wife Karen Milligan said in a statement on Monday that Mr Johnson was her rock and the world was now a “poorer place” without him.
“He was a kind, gentle, strong man,” she said.
“He only ever saw the best in people.
“He and I were at home in and on the ocean.
“We would go out diving in our boat whenever we could, most weekends.
“We were always aware of the risks and often told each other that if we were attacked by a shark that would just be unlucky.”
Milligan said Johnson had been completely against shark culling and she still maintained that position.
“We believed that if fish stocks were better protected, then the risk to people in the water would be reduced,” she said.
“Gary’s vision was to have a marine park in the Esperance area.”
![West Beach, Esperance in Western Australia on June 14, 2014. (Chris Fithall [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)](https://https://i.ntd.com/assets/uploads/2020/01/West-Beach-esperance-1200x601.jpg)
“I raced out and we found a couple of flippers and a sleeve in the water, basically that was about it,” boatie Glenn Quinlivan told reporters.
Police divers have since recovered a tank and vest.
The search for Johnson’s body is continuing.
“It’s a real shock to know a person as experienced as Gary has lost his life while he was doing what he loved,” Esperance Shire president Ian Mickel told AAP.
Long-time friend Jaimen Hudson told AAP he was heartbroken.
“He was just a genuinely really great guy,” Hudson said.
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out. It’s a terrible tragedy.”
Johnson was president of the Esperance Dive Club, a member of the Esperance Squash Club and worked for a local farming machinery retailer.
“The Sunday hits will never be the same,” a post on the squash club’s Facebook page read.
In a social media post from November 2017, Johnson said he wore a shark protection device because it gave him peace of mind like a car seatbelt.
“In my nine years diving in Esperance (most weekends – weather permitting) I have only seen one shark – a bronze whaler who showed absolutely no interest in me,” he wrote.
Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley said shark shields were useful but not fail safe.
“They are no different than anything else that we put around ourselves for protection, like a motorbike helmet,” he told reporters.
“About nine out of 10 times it does work.”
Tinley said there were 110 islands off Esperance and in this case drumlines would have had limited use.
The future of WA’s SMART drumline trial is due for consideration in February.
“We’ve tagged over 105 white pointers,” Tinley said.
The shire has erected shark warning signs from West Beach to Twilight Beach.
It is the second shark fatality in Esperance in less than three years.
In April 2017, Laeticia Brouwer, 17, died after she was bitten while surfing with her father at Kelp Beds.
By Angie Raphael
