A 63-year-old Australian woman was killed by a large shark Wednesday while she was swimming with a group off the country's east coast.

The woman, who was identified as Christine Armstrong, was attacked by the shark as she was swimming with friends from the wharf to the popular beach of Tathra village, which is about 210 miles south of Sydney, reports Time.

The victim was not that close to the other five swimmers, including her husband, Rob Armstrong, when the three to four meter shark was spotted in the water, said Police Inspector Jason Edmunds.

"The group joined up together and did their best to keep the shark at bay, although it didn't directly attack them," Edmunds said, adding that the species of the shark was unknown.

Although the swimmers did not see the attack, one witness onshore did.

According to local council general manager Leanne Barnes, locals meet at the beach every morning to swim out to the wharf and back. "It's a beautiful little coastal village and this is one of those sad things that can happen," Barnes said, according to CBC.

Armstrong's family released a statement saying that she had been swimming at the beach for 14 years and was once a trainer at the local volunteer lifeguard club.

"Swimming brought her much joy and many friends," the statement reads. "She will be sadly missed by all who loved her, especially by Rob, her husband of 44 years."

A helicopter and boat were used to search for Armstrong's body up until late Thursday afternoon.