Arabic version: تكريم غريغ أونيل على شاطئ سورينتو

According to ABC News, more than a thousand people, many dressed in blue, gathered at Perth’s Sorrento Beach to honour Greg O’Neill, who was killed by a shark off the shore in September. O’Neill, 63, was swimming close to the shoreline when he was attacked and killed by a large great white shark. He was the third person killed by a shark in Western Australia this year.

O’Neill’s children urged those attending the tribute to return to the ocean and continue doing what they loved. His son Keelan said his father would have wanted people to “embrace life to the fullest” and “keep swimming, keep paddling.” Daughter Bianca thanked the community for its support and said the water was her father’s “happy healing place.”

The family were the first to throw handfuls of sand into the surf in memory of O’Neill, described as a father, husband, brother and friend who regularly visited the beach. Members of his swimming group, the Sorrento Squids, also returned to the water. The group had continued swimming and supporting one another after the attack, while spending time at Scarborough Pool instead of the ocean.

Tom Webster of the Sorrento Squids said the ceremony could help the group and the broader community heal and move forward. Robert Doherty, head of the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club, said he would support a small shark barrier in part of the beach. Those entering the surf during the tribute were watched by Water Police, Marine Rescue Surf Life Savers and two shark-spotting drones.