A mother of four was killed by a 20-foot great white shark while snorkelling for scallops off the coast of South Australia in 1985, with her children watching from the shore. Shirley Ann Durdin, 33, was pulled underwater by the predator at Peake Bay on March 3, 1985, and bitten in half. Only a headless torso remained, which the shark devoured before disappearing.
Her husband, Barry, had to be restrained from jumping into the water after her. The attack occurred just 150 yards from the shore, where her children witnessed the horrifying event. Authorities later searched for remains but found only a single swim fin.
The family had recently moved to the coast from the rural town of Karkoo due to Barry's severe allergies to farm life. The incident left locals terrified to enter the water, with some calling for a shark cull, though experts warned against it due to ecological impacts.
This was the first fatal shark attack in South Australian waters since 1974, when diver Terry Manuel, 26, was killed by a 15-foot great white shark off Cape Catastrophe. Manuel was launched out of the water by the shark's force, and despite his companion's efforts, he died from catastrophic blood loss after losing a leg.
