Tributes have been pouring in for a teenager in Australia who was killed in a shark attack.

Khai Cowley, 15, was fatally mauled in what was a suspected great white shark attack on December 28 as he surfed off of Ethel Beach on the Yorke Peninsula, which is west of Adelaide, South Australia.

In a statement on its website, South Australia Police said officers had responded to reports of a shark attack at 1:30 p.m. local time near Ethel Beach in Innes National Park.

"Sadly, the body of a 15-year-old boy from Maslin Beach was recovered from the water," it added.

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In an Instagram post following the incident, Surfing South Australia said that Cowley "was a happy, kind and respectful kid" who was "much loved by his surfing peers."

"He will be greatly missed out in our community and on the water," it added.

Cowley's surf club, the Seaview Road Boardriders, said in another Instagram post that Cowley was a "standout" performer and "a true club man."

"You will live on in our hearts and memories, once a Roader, always a Roader," it said.

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The owner of a local fishing charter company told ABC Radio Adelaide that the incident had shocked people in the area.

"It's the stuff nightmares are made of," Ryan Valente said. "I've got some friends in the area who've been here since day dot, and talking to them, not even in their memory can they remember anything close to an event like this."

Cowley's aunt has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to cover his funeral costs.

There have been five recorded shark attacks in South Australia in 2023, including three fatal ones, ABC News reported.

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In November, SA Police said it was searching for the surfer Todd Gendle, 55, after he was the victim of another suspected great white attack.

The incident occurred near Granites Beach, south of Streaky Bay, further up the west coast from where Cowley was mauled.

In May, 46-year-old teacher Simon Baccanello was fatally attacked while surfing off the coast of Elliston, SA.

Trevlyn Smith, a local state emergency service manager, told News Corp that the surfboard had "one bite in the middle," The Associated Press reported.

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Australia saw 143 shark attacks between 2012 and 2021, with 20 of those proving to be fatal, according to the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File.

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