'There will never be another guy like him': Devastated friends pay tribute to shark attack victim who was mauled while swimming near the Great Barrier Reef
- Zachary Robba, 23, died on Monday after being horrifically mauled by a shark
- He had been working with other rangers when he went for a swim to cool off
- The incident took place off North West Island, 75km north of Gladstone
- His friends paid tribute and said: 'There will never be another guy like him'
Friends have paid tribute to a wildlife ranger who was fatally mauled by a shark off the Great Barrier Reef.
Zachary Robba, 23, had been enjoying working at his 'dream job' on the southern Barrier Reef with a group of rangers when he was attacked on Monday afternoon.
His friends told 7News: 'There will never be another guy like him. We were so lucky to call him our best mate.'
The experienced swimmer died in hospital on Monday night a few hours after he was bitten off North West Island, 75km northeast of Gladstone in Queensland.
He suffered severe injuries to leg, hand and elbow during the attack.
Zachary Robba (pictured), 23, had been enjoying working at his 'dream job' on the southern Barrier Reef with a group of rangers when he was attacked on Monday afternoon
His friends said: 'There will never be another guy like him. We were so lucky to call him our best mate.'
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Police said Mr Robba and other rangers decided to go for a swim off the back of their boat, after spending the day doing maintenance work on the island.
His colleagues were ahead of him and had already reached the vessel when the sharked struck.
'They would have witnessed the attack,' Detective Senior Sergeant Tony Anderson told reporters on Tuesday.
'There were four people swimming off the back of a boat, cooling down after a day's work.'
It's not clear what kind of shark was involved.
A family friend told Daily Mail Australia that Zachary was 'dedicated' to his work and described his mate as a 'down-to-earth legend'.
'Zac was someone who was loved by all, a dedicated parks and wildlife officer who embraced everything that came at him,' he said.
'Zac was an easy going, down-to-earth legend of a bloke.
'Every time we saw him he brought laughter and a sense of mateship to a crowd. He has left a legacy in everybody’s hearts who knew him. May he rest in peace.'
His former school, Iona College in, also paid tribute to Mr Robba, saying he had been loving his 'dream job and embracing all that it entailed.'
The experienced swimmer died in hospital on Monday night a few hours after he was bitten off North West Island, 75km northeast of Gladstone in Queensland. He suffered severe injuries to leg, hand and elbow during the attack
Monday's attack was the third at North West Island in just over three months.
In January, a nine-year-old girl was attacked by a shark, suffering a bite wound to the back of her leg, and puncture wounds to her foot.
A lemon shark was suspected of that attack.
In late December a shovelnose shark bit a man in shallow waters at North West Island.
He suffered minor injuries to his right hand and leg.
There have also been a series of other shark attacks on the Great Barrier Reef over the past 18 months.
There have also been a series of other shark attacks on the Great Barrier Reef over the past 18 months (pictured: The North West Island near the Great Barrier Reef)
