HUNDREDS of mourners have gathered to honour Charlize Zmuda, a 17-year-old surf lifesaver who was killed in a shark attack just a day earlier.
Holding a single candle, her dad Steve stood surrounded by family, friends, and well-wishers on Tuesday afternoon at Woorim Beach, Queensland.
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Mourning the loss of his daughter, the grieving dad urged the community not to fear the beach she loved.
“When I got the tragic news yesterday, I was extremely gutted,” Mr Zmuda said.
“But something that my wife and I want to say is we don’t want people to stop coming to the beach and enjoying our beach.
“It’s a big part of our lives, we’ve got our family here, our community, and we love everybody here.”
Read more on shark attacks
Charlize was swimming about 100 meters offshore at Woorim Beach late Monday afternoon when she was bitten by a shark.
Paramedics rushed into the water to help her, but the teen suffered catastrophic upper-body injuries and tragically died at the scene.
The high school senior had been at the beach in Bribie Island with friends at the time of the attack.
Witness Chris Potter recalled hearing a piercing scream from the water, initially believing she had been caught in a rip.
“It was shocking,” he told local outlet The Courier Mail.
Community in mourning
Charlize’s loved ones returned to Woorim Beach on Tuesday morning to watch the sunrise and lay flowers by the water.
They gathered again later in the day, hugging each other, lighting candles, and paying tribute to the teen.
“Please focus on the incredible life she lived and not the awful way she died,” the family’s statement read.
Tributes have poured in from across the community and on social media.
“Rest in peace, beautiful,” one person wrote online.
“Such a beautiful, sweet young lady from a beautiful family,” said another.
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A life dedicated to the ocean
Charlize was well known in the Bribie Island community.
A surf lifesaver since the age of eight, she was co-captain of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club and had recently competed with the IRB team at the Lifesaving World Championships.
“Charlize was a member of our club since she was eight years old,” her father said.
“She was a dedicated lifesaver who wanted only the best for our club and for all of our community.”
Her mum, Renee Zmuda, described Charlize as a free spirit who “touched the lives of everyone she met.”
“She loved the beach and it truly was her happiest place on earth,” the family’s statement read.
Beyond lifesaving, Charlize was also a talented musician.
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“She was the lead at St Columban’s School as a singer … she was so musically gifted,” Mr Zmuda said.
“She could hear a piece of music and then … play it in a heartbeat. To have that talent taken away right now, that kills me.
Charlize had just attended her school formal and completed her first day of Year 12.
A week before her death, she shared photos of herself at Bribie Beach, strumming a guitar by a campfire and riding waves with friends, News.com.au reported.
Charlize’s fatal attack follows the death of 28-year-old surfer Lance Appleby, who was killed by a shark off South Australia’s coast last month.
And in December, 40-year-old pastor Luke Walford was killed while spearfishing in the Southern Great Barrier Reef near Humpy Island.
