The family of Victorian Steven Payne, who was killed on WA's remote south coast, say he "loved his partner deeply, cherished his family, thought the world of his best mates, and was devoted to his dog".

The surfer who was killed by a shark in Western Australia this week would not want to have the animals or the one that fatally bit him to be culled, his heartbroken family say.

An Australian surfer is presumed dead after a shark attack while his girlfriend and others watched on in horror, only weeks into the couple’s six-month-long dream vacation.