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Subscriber only THE Gold Coast is one of the most popular destinations in the country and one of the city s biggest drawcard is pristine beaches. For more than 60 years beachgoers enjoyed swimming without the fear of a fatal shark attack etched in their memory, until this year. Two men were killed by a shark in separate incidents within three months in 2020. Robin Rob Pedretti died at Salt Beach just south of Kingscliff on June 7 after a 3m shark, believed to be a great white, mauled him shortly after 10am. Shark attack victim Rob Pedretti. He had been out surfing with mate Frank Schlee who, along with another Gold Coast surfer, Mark Hayes, bravely fought off the shark and paddled Mr Pedretti to shore in a vain bid to save him.