Nick Slater, 46, was fatally attacked at Greenmount Beach in Coolangatta on Tuesday evening.

Mr Slater worked for McGrath Estate Agents in Gungahlin for almost a decade from 2009, before he relocated to the Gold Coast.

Deputy President of the Real Estate Institute of the ACT Stan Platis said it was a tragic loss of a beloved member of the Canberra community.

"His time was always given without a second thought. He was always a professional, a gentleman and a fun-loving larrikin," he said.

"There wouldn't be one person I wouldn't know that didn't respect him and care for him."

Mr Slater's former colleague turned politican, Johnathan Davis, remembered Mr Slater's vibrant personality, "quintessential Australian sense of humour" and devotion to his family.

"[He was] somebody who really took over a room when he came into it, he really lived life to fullest with a big, bold personality in the best possible way," he said.

"It doesn't seem very real that a personality so big isn't with us anymore."

He said Mr Slater was a mentor to him in the years they worked together as he navigated a new career in real estate as an 18-year-old.

Mr Davis said Mr Slater was passionate and innovative, which saw him become a leader in his field.

"He was the example that everyone, even the bosses, would lean to in the office as someone who was going to be do things better, bigger and differently," he said.

"He wasn't afraid of trying new things, of being innovative and using that to challenge everybody else in the office to be their best."

On Tuesday evening, Mr Slater was pulled from the water by surfers and lifeguards and had suffered serious leg injuries after the shark reportedly bit him from the hip down.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene minutes after they arrived.

The attack shocked locals because Greenmount Beach had drum lines and was one of several on the Gold Coast with shark nets in place.

It was the first fatal attack in the area since 1958.

Authorities closed Gold Coast beaches on Wednesday morning as a search for the shark began, a large tiger shark had since been found in nets off Greenmount Beach.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said investigations would be conducted to determine if that shark was responsible for the fatal attack.

She offered her condolences to Mr Slater's friends and family and praised community members who ran to his aid.

"The courage to run into the surf moments after a shark attack is beyond admirable and I think are worthy for nomination for bravery awards," she told parliament on Wednesday morning.

- with AAP