The heartbreaking strains of INXS’s Never Tear Us Apart played as a crowd of hundreds gathered at the shore of Falcon Bay beach to farewell 29-year-old surfer Ben Gerring.
Ben died after he was attacked by a shark at Gearies, a few kilometres down the road.
The local surfing community were not ready to return to the water where Ben was mauled.
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READ NOWThey chose to hold the memorial paddle out for Ben in the calmer and safer waters off Falcon Bay.
They paddled out about 100 metres carrying beers, flowers and balloons, and formed a circle.
Ben’s brother Rick moved to the centre of the circle and led the memorial.
It was Rick’s first time back in the water following Ben’s death.
Ben’s pregnant fiancé Jasmine Boyer and his parents watched the memorial from the water’s edge.
To finish the ceremony white balloons representing Ben’s spirit were released into the sky.
As the crowds left the bay, a lonely surfboard covered with messages of love, was left in the sand to stand in memoriam to Ben.