BY Nick Squires in Sydney

An Australian scientist has described the horror of seeing his diving partner attacked and killed by a 16ft-long great white shark.

The attack happened off the coast of South Australia, a global hot spot for great whites.

In evidence to a coronial inquiry, Justin Rowntree said he and his colleague, Jarrod Stehbens, 23, were diving on an artificial reef in search of cuttlefish eggs.

Mr Rowntree said that while swimming over the reef off Glenelg, near Adelaide, in 2005, he suddenly felt a thump to his back which he at first thought might be a playful dolphin.

As the force of the blow spun him around, he came face to face with a large great white.

"I was looking at Jarrod when I felt a whack on the back which rotated me around," Mr Rowntree said.

"Initially I thought it was a dolphin but pretty quickly I realised it was not. It went straight towards Jarrod, initially he whacked it directly on the snout and it seemed to go away momentarily."

But the shark swiftly turned and came back. As Mr Stehbens fought for his life, it bit into his leg and dragged him into deeper water.

"It happened like a flash," Mr Rowntree said. In spite of an extensive search, Mr Stehbens’ body was never found. The dive was to have been his last before he returned to live in his native Germany.

The inquest heard that the two Adelaide University researchers had not been wearing electronic shark repellent devices, known as shark shields, even though the university had bought some and made them available.

Mr Rowntree told the inquest that he thought there was a low risk of encountering a great white in the area. "Sometimes we would have a bit of a joke about it, just knowing that they [were] out there."

He said that while he was unaware there were shark shields on the boat, he probably would not have worn one because they were cumbersome. He also said he had heard the devices often gave divers small electric shocks underwater.

Adelaide University made the wearing of shark shields compulsory after the fatal attack.

The inquest continues.

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