“She loved the beach and it truly was her happiest place on Earth,” the statement read.

“She was a free spirit who was truly gifted musically – playing the trumpet, guitar, ukulele and piano as well as having the voice of an angel and playing lead roles in her school musicals at both primary and high school.

“She was a Bribie Island Nipper from the tender age of 8 and was the vice-captain of her patrol, competed with the IRB team in the World Championships last year and was also inspiring the current Bribie Nippers as an under-9s age manager.

“She loved four wheel-driving up the beach and anyone who went with her knew they would have to stop and pick up every piece of rubbish she saw along the way.

“We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community.

“Please focus on the incredible life she lived and not the awful way she died,” the tribute read.

A week before her death, the teenager shared a collection of photos from her recent trips to Bribie Beach, driving through the bush and riding waves with friends.

Another image showed Charlize strumming a guitar over a campfire and enjoying the water – a place where she loved to spend time.

The 17-year-old had just attended her school formal and completed her first day of year 12.

Her uncle paid tribute to the “beautiful girl” while speaking to Sunrise.

Tributes have also flowed on social media in the wake of news of the death.

“Rest in peace, beautiful,” one person wrote online.

“Such a beautiful, sweet young lady from a beautiful family,” said another.

“You seemed to love the ocean so much,” an online tribute read.

Friends and family recalled her love for the beach. Her loved ones gathered on the beach in the hours after her death, hugging each other and paying their respects with a carton of beer.

Her family returned to the beach on Tuesday morning to remember the beloved daughter, watching the sunrise and laying flowers by the water.

Witness Chris Potter earlier told the Courier Mail that he heard a piercing scream coming from the water, initially leading to people thinking she had been caught in a rip.

“It was shocking,” he told the masthead.

Potter said shark sightings were often around Bribie Island; however, he had never known for them to get too close to the shoreline.

Woorim Ocean Beach is located on the eastern side of Bribie Island and is a popular destination for surfers.

Drumlines, which are used to catch sharks using bait and large hooks, are used at Woorim Beach. Drone surveillance is also undertaken.

Monday’s incident is the third fatal shark attack this summer.

In December, 40-year-old pastor Luke Walford was killed while spearfishing in the Southern Great Barrier Reef near Humpy Island.

In January, surfer Lance Appleby, 28, was killed in a shark attack off the coast of South Australia.

Earlier in December, a man spearfishing was hospitalised after being attacked by a shark off Curtis Island, near Gladstone.