The hunt continues for the Great White Shark which killed Nick Slater, the first victim of a fatal shark attack on the Gold Coast since 1958.

Off-duty lifeguards and members of the public surfing at Greenmount Beach near Coolangatta rushed to bring Mr Slater to shore when he was attacked yesterday afternoon, but he could not be saved.

Gold Coast lifesaving services coordinator Nathan Fife told Scott Emerson the tragedy took lifesavers by surprise, and the mental impact has “knocked around” the team.

“Our lifesavers are very well trained, but I suppose you can’t be trained for that kind of trauma that they saw yesterday.”

Beaches remain closed between the Queensland-NSW border and Burleigh Heads until 5pm, but some surfers have disobeyed the closure, Mr Fife said.

“It’s very frustrating … Some people just can’t help themselves.

“These off-duty lifesavers and lifeguards … you’re risking their lives also.”

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Image: Nine News