A beautiful picture of the father son duo was taken in front of the golden sky just before the unfortunate tragedy happened. A day, which was supposed to be of simple joy and cherished memories, turned upside down.
A family visited Port MacDonnell, in South Australia, in January 2021, for a wholesome trip by the sea. A perfect day of camping trip beside the water, a toddler digging in the sand, a father relishing his fondness for the sea.
Tylia Craw snapped a picture of her husband, Duncan, at the golden hour at the beach. The 37-year-old Duncan was snorkeling in crystal blue water with his two-year-old son, Levi, who was playing with a yellow spade in the sand. The picture, which became the last living memory of her husband, was supposed to be a picture of tranquility and love, only, freezing a moment in time.
However, within minutes of taking the cherished family snapshot, Duncan vanished under the waves of the sea. When more time passed by and Duncan didn’t resurface, concerns turned into panic and soon a frantic search started.
The search operation, consisting of water police, the air wing, and local volunteers, continued their search the whole day and the next. The rescuers were able to find the torn wetsuit and flippers that belonged to Duncan Craw, followed by his remains. Two shark fins were also located the same day after the incident, initially giving a suspicion of shark attack.
As reported by a police spokesperson, “Tragically, police suspect the Victorian man has been the victim of a shark attack after PolAir spotted a shark in the area yesterday afternoon.”
Duncan’s family also said the same in the initial statement “The exact circumstances of Duncan’s disappearance are not yet known but given the recovery of a damaged wetsuit and the sighting of a great white in the area on Thursday, it looks like a shark was involved.”
However, further investigation revealed Duncan had died of a medical emergency, possibly a heart attack, before the attack of the whale. Duncan’s family found relief in the news to know Duncan had passed away peacefully before the tragedy escalated.
Expressing his relief, Duncan’s brother in law said, “The last week has been extremely traumatic for all of us but having Levi to look at, it’s just giving us that little bit of strength to keep moving forward.”
Duncan’s step-sister also aired her solace on X, formerly known as twitter, “It brings us comfort to know that he would have passed away peacefully in the water. While we may never know for sure, based on the evidence we do have, we now believe it is most likely Duncan suffered a medical episode long before the arrival of the shark.”
For Taylia, the last picture of her husband she took is now a bittersweet memory.
