An air and sea search for the body of Peter Clarkson was underway Friday near Port Lincoln in South Australia where the veteran abalone diver was taken by sharks, dpa reported.
Clarkson, an abalone diver for 27 years, was killed by two great whites Thursday in an attack witnessed by the captain of the boat he was using.
"He was a passionate man about all things in the Southern Ocean and the shells and the sea creatures that live beneath, so it's really sad that he had to go in this way," friend and local journalist Emma Peddler told national broadcaster ABC.
South Australia's Eyre Peninsula is a breeding ground for sharks and there have been recent reports of an upsurge in numbers.
Darian Gale, who runs dolphin-spotting trips, said sharks preyed on the schools of salmon in the area.
"There's always been sharks down there," he said. "If you just look back through the history of it, every two to three years there seems to be an attack of some sort over this way."
Abalone industry official Jonas Woolford said shark attacks were rare. "Every season there'll be three or four sightings, but usually they just come in and say hello and then move on," Woolford said.