Alex Pullin was hailed as one of Australia’s finest ever winter sports athletes and a pioneer for his country.
Having first taken up the sport at the age of 8 – having begun to ski at 3 – he became a double world champion snowboarder, winning titles in snowboard cross in 2011 and 2013.
He represented his country at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010 and was Australia’s flagbearer at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Pullin – nicknamed “Chumpy” – also competed at the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea two years ago.
His death, at the age of just 32, has stunned Australia’s winter sports community and led to a flood of tributes.
He was discovered by a snorkeller on Wednesday on an artificial reef in waters off Palm Beach, where he had been solo spearfishing.
Australian broadcaster ABC reported lifeguards and paramedics had unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate the 32 year-old on the beach after pulling him from the water.
Police said he has been free driving, without an oxygen mask.
The sport’s national body, Snow Australia, said it was “shocked and saddened” by Pullin’s death.
“Alex was a beloved member of the Snow Australia community and he will be dearly missed,” it said in a statement.
The Australian Olympic Team described Pullin as “an incredible athlete, beloved teammate and role model” who will be “sorely missed”, while the chief executive of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, Geoff Lipshut, said he had been one of the country’s “great winter sports pioneers”.
The Reuters news agency reported Pullin had retired from competitive sport, but had yet to make that decision public.
He had been living on the Gold Coast with his partner, the model Ellidy Vlug, who is understood to have been on the shore awaiting Pullin’s return.