Daughters' moving tribute to shark attack victim
The daughters of a shark attack victim have remembered him as a dad with a heart as "deep and vast as the ocean".
Mark Sanguinetti had been on a surf trip with three friends when he was mauled at Tuncurry Beach on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast.
Paramedics arrived on the beach at around 11:20 am on Tuesday but it was too late.
The shark had bitten into his upper right thigh.
The 59-year-old is being remembered as a family man and leaves behind two daughters - Bella and Jemima.
They paid tribute in the form of two letters on Wednesday.
“Some new knew him as Skidders, some as Big Marky, and others as Ba, but we all knew him as a legend with a heart as deep and vast as the ocean, which was his first of many loves,” they wrote.
“If you knew him, you understand how lucky you were to.”
“We’re planning a paddle out in tribute of Mark - anyone who knew him, or ever surfed with him, we’re sure he’d like everyone to be there. It’ll be held on Tuesday the 24th at Palm Beach at 4.30pm,” the sisters added.
“Dad was a truly special soul.
“A kind, generous, thoughtful man, friend and father. He saw the light within everyone and every situation.
“He’s home now, in the ocean and in our hearts, and he’ll be riding the waves of life with us forever.”
Meanwhile, authorities are trying to search for the shark responsible for the attack.
Several drumlines were dropped into the water hundreds of metres behind the breakers on Tuesday night.
Since then, at least four sharks, all measuring more than a couple of metres in length, have been tagged and released.
The shark that mauled Mark was estimated to be 4.5 metres long.