The death of a Briton who was killed by a great white shark off the coast of Australia is officially being classified as an “unprovoked incident”.

The death of a Briton who was killed by a great white shark near a Sydney beach has been officially ruled an “unprovoked incident”.

Simon Nellist (35) was swimming in the waters of Little Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs when the 15ft animal attacked him on February 16, 2022. He was reported to have died almost immediately, making him Sydney’s first shark attack kill. over 60 years.

Mr. Nellist, a former RAF sniper who survived two sorties in Afghanistan, died just 150 meters from shocked beachgoers.

At the time, his devastated family paid tribute to the “proud Cornishman” who made Australia his home with his fiancée Jessie.

Now, according to a report by the International Shark Attack File, Mr Nellist’s tragic death has been classified as an “unprovoked incident”.

Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Shark Research Program, said there were a number of reasons why Mr Nellist’s death was classified as a “provoked incident”.

The International Shark Attack File documents all shark attack incidents around the world and classifies each incident according to its circumstances.

Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Shark Research Program, said there are a number of reasons to classify this as a “provoked incident.”

In an email to the YouTube channel Shark Bytes, which appeared in a video in February, Mr. Naylor said Mr. Nellist’s death was not included in the unprovoked attack statistics “because we didn’t count it as one.” consider unprovoked incident.

“While Mr. “Nellist did nothing knowingly to provoke an incident, he swam in an area where people were fishing,” he said. “Fishing is an activity that attracts sharks. We therefore consider it provoked for our purposes.”

He explained that the report is “diligent” to focus on incidents deemed unprovoked in order to understand “the natural behavior” of sharks.

“Any factor that attracts sharks to an area (fish, chum, scallops, etc.) is not typical,” he told the YouTube channel.

Shark conservation experts say the animals do not view humans as food, but are often involved in incidents where humans hunt similar prey as humans, such as dolphins or seals.

According to the World Wildlife Organization, “you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark,” and conservationists have worked to dispel myths about sharks that often resurface when they are attacked.

Mr Nellist was the first person to be killed by a shark in the Sydney area since the 1960s. Pictured: A boat patrols the scene of the fatal shark attack in February 2022 (File photo)

It comes after 16-year-old Stella Berry was attacked and killed by a bull shark in Perth’s Swan River in February. Robert Harcourt, an honorary professor of marine ecology at Macquarie University, told the Mail: “Most sharks are actually quite wary of taking anything that is a new kind of prey.”

He said sharks feed primarily on small or medium-sized prey, and humans are not typically “high on their list.”

But he added that sharks can hunt humans. “The Kleinbaai case (Mr. Nellist’s death) was a case where the shark came in to this day,” he said.

“Sharks are like all wildlife, they are curious and there is a pretty strong hierarchy when sharks interact.

“They can be intimidated by things bigger than themselves. Seals and dolphins will hunt great whites en masse, they will harass them.”

At the time of his death, Mr Nellist’s family said: “Simon had a great passion for nature and the sea and was also a very talented photographer.”

They said they would “miss him terribly”, adding: “Simon was a gentle, kind and wonderful person. He was a beloved fiance, son, brother, uncle and friend.

“Simon was funny, compassionate and always had time for people. He had a rare ability to connect directly with others and earn their trust and respect.’

It emerged that Mr Nellist was killed just days before safety lines were installed to prevent sharks from approaching the coast. The authorities in Sydney signed off on the work for the area where he died before the end of February.

Family members said his distraught mother wondered “how he could come back unscathed from the front lines (in Afghanistan) and then go to Australia, go swimming and be killed”.

Mr. Nellist’s devastated family said at the time of his death that he was a “proud Cornish man” who had made Australia his home with his fiancee Jessie (pictured right).

Mr Nellist’s family told MailOnline he did not want the animal destroyed.

He was the first person to be killed by a shark in the area since the 1960s.

His aunt Jacqui Seager (62) said: “I don’t think Simon wants the shark to be killed. He loved nature.

“He has swum with sharks before. It’s not the first time he’s gone out and seen her, but he’ll still go swimming. That’s brave. I don’t think he ever thought that they would hurt him. Unfortunately, we were able to reach him this time.”