Charlize Zmuda, who died after being attacked by a shark in Australia, had only just attended her school formal.
Charlize Zmuda, who died after being attacked by a shark in Australia, had only just attended her school formal.
The mother of a teenager killed in a shark attack at a popular surfing beach off Bribie Island, Queensland has remembered her daughter as a multi-talented and kind “shining light”.
Charlize Zmuda was swimming about 100m offshore when she was bitten by the shark at Woorim Beach late on Monday afternoon.
The 17-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries to her upper body and died at the scene, despite efforts to save her.
The teenager ,who was co-captain of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club, is believed to have been at the beach with friends at the time and was known to swim at the spot every morning.
In a statement from the family, her mother, Renee Zmuda, remembered her daughter as someone who “touched the lives of everyone she met”.
“She loved the beach and it truly was her happiest place on Earth,” the statement read.
“She was a free spirit who was truly gifted musically – playing the trumpet, guitar, ukulele and piano as well as having the voice of an angel and playing lead roles in her school musicals at both primary and high school.
Tributes have started pouring in Charlize Zmuda, who was killed in a shark attack on Monday. Photo / Supplied
“She was a Bribie Island Nipper from the tender age of 8 and was the vice-captain of her patrol, competed with the IRB team in the World Championships last year and was also inspiring the current Bribie Nippers as an under-9s age manager.
“She loved four wheel-driving up the beach and anyone who went with her knew they would have to stop and pick up every piece of rubbish she saw along the way.
“We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community.
“Please focus on the incredible life she lived and not the awful way she died,” the tribute read.
A week before her death, the teenager shared a collection of photos from her recent trips to Bribie Beach, driving through the bush and riding waves with friends.
Another image showed Charlize strumming a guitar over a campfire and enjoying the water – a place where she loved to spend time.
The 17-year-old had just attended her school formal and completed her first day of year 12.
Her uncle paid tribute to the “beautiful girl” while speaking to Sunrise.
Tributes have also flowed on social media in the wake of news of the death.
“Rest in peace, beautiful,” one person wrote online.
“Such a beautiful, sweet young lady from a beautiful family,” said another.
“You seemed to love the ocean so much,” an online tribute read.
Friends and family recalled her love for the beach. Her loved ones gathered on the beach in the hours after her death, hugging each other and paying their respects with a carton of beer.
Efforts to revive Charlize Zmuda on the beach were unsuccessful. Photo / ABC News
Her family returned to the beach on Tuesday morning to remember the beloved daughter, watching the sunrise and laying flowers by the water.
Witness Chris Potter earlier told the Courier Mail that he heard a piercing scream coming from the water, initially leading to people thinking she had been caught in a rip.
“It was shocking,” he told the masthead.
Potter said shark sightings were often around Bribie Island; however, he had never known for them to get too close to the shoreline.
