An Australian surfer is presumed dead after a shark attack while his girlfriend and others watched on in horror, only weeks into the couple’s six-month-long dream vacation.

A surfer who was fatally mauled by a shark in front of his partner at a remote WA beach was a “talented sportsman” from New Zealand. Steven Payne, 37, who lived in the Melbourne region, was attacked while surfing at Wharton Beach near Esperance, 800km southeast of Perth, just after midday on Monday. His body is yet to be recovered.