Diver had shark repellent device attached incorrectly in fatal attack

At six metres long, it was as big as the boat. Paul Buckland did not stand a chance. The professional diver had surfaced off the coast of South Australia when the great white shark struck from beneath.

Up to then it had been a routine dive. Buckland, 23, was a commercial diver based in Port Lincoln, a remote fishing port on a windswept stretch of coast known for its icy seas, teeming seal colonies - and huge sharks. That day last April he was diving for abalone with his friend and employee, Shannon Jenzen.

Mr Jenzen, 24, had already done a solo dive, spending about an hour under water before returning to their aluminium boat.

Buckland wore a crucial piece of equipment - a protective device designed to repel sharks. The South African-made Shark Pod emits an electrical current which interferes with receptors in the shark's snout.

Used properly, it might have saved Buckland's life. But at a coroner's inquest in Port Lincoln last week, Mr Jenzen explained how he and other divers rigged up the pod differently from the maker's guidelines.

The device consists of two electrodes which are supposed to be worn on the foot and in the middle of the back. But Mr Jenzen said it was common practice for divers to attach one electrode to their air hose, hoping to increase the scope of the electric shield.

This may have presented the shark with an opening that proved fatal.