An experienced surfer and father has been identified after he was killed by a shark on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Mercury Psillakis, 57, suffered critical injuries after being bitten by what is believed to have been a large shark at Long Reef Beach shortly after 10am on Saturday.

He was pulled from the surf by four or five surfers and brought to the shore, but could not be saved and died at the scene.

Mr Psillakis is a well-known Dee Why local and avid surfer, with his brother Mike operating the custom surfboard shop Psillakis Surfboards.

Mr Psillakis was killed in a fatal shark attack . Picture: Facebook

Mercury Psillakis with his twin brother Mike Psillakis. Picture: Supplied

Mr Psillakis was crowned club champion in the surfing community-organised Long Reef Boardriders Association in 1994.

In May he organised a paddle out tribute for fellow Dee Why surfer Shane Herring after his untimely death.

In a tribute on social media, a community member remembered Mr Psillakis as a “keystone” of the local area.

“To lose such a keystone in Mercury in so radical a sudden way leaves anyone with sense of heritage stone cold heartbroken,” he wrote.

“Massive personal condolences to the immediate extended Psillakis family, his local brethren, and on behalf of the old Newport surfing brotherhood and the core industry.”

Police have described the man’s death on Father’s Day weekend as “particularly tragic”. Photo: NewsWire

He died at the scene. Picture: Supplied.

In a statement, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said Mr Psillakis’ death was an “awful tragedy”.

“My heart goes out to the victim’s family and friends,” he said.

“I also want to thank the first responders and community members who tried to help in such tough and confronting circumstances.

“Shark attacks are rare, but they leave a huge mark on everyone involved, particularly the close knit surfing community.”

Northern Beaches Police Area Command Inspector Stuart Thomson told reporters on Saturday afternoon that Mr Psillakis lost “a number of limbs” in the attack.

“His body was found floating in the surf, and a couple of other people went out and recovered it but attempts to save his life were unsuccessful,” he said.

“We understand he leaves behind a wife and a young daughter – with tomorrow being Father’s Day, it’s particularly tragic.

“The gentleman is an experienced surfer. He was here with a number of mates and … he’d only been in the water for about half an hour at the time.”

Mercury Psillakis (right) with twin brother Mike. Picture: Facebook.

He leaves behind his wife Maria and their daughter. Picture: Supplied.

Inspector Thomson said the man’s surfboard was broken in half.

“A couple of other surfers managed to see him the surf and got him back out, but by that time he lost a lot of blood and resuscitation was not possible,” he said.

“He had suffered catastrophic injuries.

“I don’t have the exact time how long he was missing but I understand it was a short time.”

Inspector Thomson said nearby surfers came to the man’s aid, but could not confirm if they knew there was a shark attack when they jumped into the water.

Inspector Stuart Thomson said other surfers had tried to save his life. Photo: NewsWire

Two pieces of the surfboard have been taken for examination. Photo: NewsWire

Inspector Thomson said it was horrific for the man’s colleagues, mates and surf life savers.

“It was one of those freak incidents that happens very rarely – obviously there was a lot of people down at the beach, because it’s a beautiful day at Dee Why,” he said.

NSW police and paramedics were at the scene, along with the Westpac helicopter.

Police will liaise with experts from the Department of Primary Industries to determine the species of shark involved.

“We had a number of police boats as well as from Surf Life Saving (and) jet skis, and we were out looking for the shark,” Inspector Thomson said.

“Obviously we passed that information to Department of Primary Industries, who will be the key agency in terms of locating the shark and determining what to do next.”

The beach is expected to be closed for between 48 to 72 hours, and surrounding beaches for 24 hours.

Beaches between Manly to Narrabeen have been closed pending further advice.

Plenty of beachgoers were at Dee Why when the tragedy occurred. Photo: NewsWire

The beach is expected to remain closed for at least 48 hours. Photo: NewsWire

‘Doesn’t look good’: Harrowing scenes

Sydney resident Sophie Lumsden was at Dee Why at the time.

“I was sitting at the beach having a coffee and the shark alarm went off. Two minutes later, four ambulances turned up,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

“It doesn’t look good.”

Harrowing scenes have been reported as the man’s family arrived at the scene.

His brother collapsed to the ground and his mother needed physical support to remain standing, The Daily Telegraph has reported.

Loved ones were seen gathering together on the sand near a tent that has been closed off to members of the public.

Several surfers in wetsuits were seen approaching the family group.

First attack in years

Saturday’s shark attack is the second in Sydney in the past three years.

A local diver was killed by a great white shark in a “rare and uncommon tragedy” in 2022.

Authorities at the time said the incident – which killed 35-year-old Wolli Creek man Simon Nellist – was the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 1963.

Trial to remove shark nets

The tragedy comes as three council areas move towards trialling removing shark nets.

Central Coast councillors all voted in favour of a NSW government trial to remove shark nets from beaches this summer, with representatives saying it was “always disappointing” to see other wildlife caught in the netting.

The state government has asked Waverley, Northern Beaches and Central Coast councils to select a beach to trial the removal of the nets.

Saturday’s tragedy has closed beaches between Manly and Narrabeen. Picture: NewsWire.

The Department of Primary Industries is expected to select which beaches will be involved in the trial.

The three councils said at the time new technologies were available to prevent shark attacks.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said the council had long been advocating for the removal of the nets from all beaches, and looked forward to receiving more information about the government’s plans.

“ … We have been advocating for the removal of shark nets on all beaches and replacement with technology that maintains or improves swimmer safety,” Ms Heins said.

“We’d like to see the removal of shark nets on all our beaches; however if a trial on one beach as suggested by the NSW Government gets us a step closer to this outcome, we’d welcome it provided they were replaced with appropriate mitigation technologies for swimmer safety.”

People on jet skis are still looking for the shark. Photo: NewsWire

A NSW government spokesperson said safety is the “number one priority”.

“Three local councils, Central Coast, Waverley and Northern Beaches, who have indicated they did not want nets on their beaches, have been invited to be part of a trial where one beach in their LGA will not be netted,” the spokesperson said.

Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast Ryan Park has acknowledged “widespread” issues with the nets.

“We know the problems with nets are widespread, in particular around getting other species of marine life caught in those areas. I know that’s been a challenge in my own community,” Mr Park said during a press conference in July.

“Our priority is keeping our locals and our humans and our visitors safe in the water.”

An experienced surfer has been mauled to death by what police described as a “large” shark at a Sydney beach, a rare fatal attack for the region that has prompted several beach closures.

Emergency services were called to Long Reef Beach in the north of the New South Wales (NSW) capital shortly before 10am local time after a man suffered critical injuries.

The 57-year-old victim was surfing with a group of friends to the north of the lifeguard tower, away from the patrolled area, when he was attacked by the shark, according to the NSW police. While his fellow surfers managed to return to the shore safely, the victim’s body was found floating in the water with a “number of limbs” missing.

He was pulled from the water by other surfers, but had lost too much blood and died at the scene, said police superintendent John Duncan of Sydney’s Northern Beaches unit. “He’d suffered catastrophic injuries,” Mr Duncan told a televised press conference.

Two sections of a surfboard were retrieved and taken for examination, police added. The beach was immediately closed for visitors enjoying a spring beach day and officers were expected to liaise with experts to determine the species of shark involved in the attack.

The surfer had been in the water for 30 minutes and was only 100m away from the beach before “both him and his board disappeared underwater”, said Northern Beaches Police Area Command Inspector Stuart Thomson. He described the attack as a freak incident which he said happens “very, very rarely”.

“There were a couple of other surfers [who] managed to see him in the surf and managed to get him back out,” he said, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “But unfortunately by that time, we understand he’d lost probably a lot of blood and, yeah, resuscitation was not possible.”

The Dee Why Beach will remain closed to visitors for the next 72 hours. Beaches between Manly and Narrabeen will stay closed for 24 hours. All nearby clubs have cancelled training and water activities for the weekend, said Surf Life Saving chief executive Steve Pearce.

“Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy,” he said, according to SBS News, “For now, please remain clear of the water at beaches in the vicinity and follow the direction of lifeguards and lifesavers.”

The incident took place at a time when a junior surf tournament was being held at Long Reef Beach on Saturday morning. Authorities have deployed drones on the scene to scan for further shark activity.

The Northern Beaches Council has paid tribute to the family and thanked all the first responders at the scene for their “swift and professional response”. The victim is survived by his wife and young daughter.

“There has been a tragic loss of life on one of our beaches, and our deepest condolences today are with the man’s family and friends,” it said in a statement. “Beach goers are advised to check the website for ongoing closures in the coming days.”

The death is the first in a shark attack in Australia’s most populous city since a swimmer was killed off a beach in February 2022, becoming Sydney’s first such fatality since 1963. Simon Nellist, a 35-year-old diving instructor from Cornwall, was mauled by a great white shark at a fishing spot near Little Bay.

There have been three other fatal shark attacks in Australia in 2025, data from the state-run operator of Sydney’s Taronga Zoo shows. In March, a woman attacked by a shark at a southern Sydney beach was saved by a group of beachgoers who waded into the water to rescue her.

The woman, in her 50s, suffered a serious laceration from the shark attack and was losing a lot of blood. Police said members of the public used beach towels to try to stop the bleeding while they waited for paramedics to arrive.

The same month a surfer was killed by a shark in shallow water on a remote beach in Western Australia.

The beach is closed while a police boat searches the scene of a fatal shark attack at Long Reef Beach. A man is dead after being attacked by a large shark on Sydney’s northern beaches. Photo: Dean Lewins/AAP/dpa Keystone

A surfer has been attacked and fatally injured by a shark off the coast of Sydney. The 57-year-old was apparently bitten “by a large shark” at Long Reef Beach in Dee Why, according to Australian police. The victim lost both legs and was pulled ashore by surfers, but could not be rescued. His surfboard, which was torn in half, is now being examined to determine what kind of shark was his undoing.

Keystone-SDA SDA

“This is a tragic accident that happens very, very rarely,” said police spokesman Stuart Thomson in a statement to the press. The last fatal shark attack in Sydney to date occurred in Little Bay in the south of the city in 2022. Prior to that, there had been no fatalities there for almost 60 years. Three species native to the region are particularly dangerous to humans: tiger sharks, bull sharks and white sharks.

“He lost a lot of blood”

According to the police, this time the predator bit about 100 meters from the beach. Eyewitnesses watched from the shore as the shark pulled the experienced surfer underwater. “He lost a lot of blood and could not be revived,” said Thomson. Shocked family members and friends mourned on the beach for the father of a young daughter, who lost his life on Father’s Day weekend of all days.

Long Reef is located about 20 kilometers from downtown Sydney on the Northern Beaches – a long stretch of Pacific coastline that stretches from the popular tourist district of Manly all the way up to exclusive Palm Beach. Following the incident on Saturday morning (local time), all beaches from Manly to Narrabeen in the north were temporarily closed. Helicopters and drones were used to locate the wanted predator.

Climate change increases the risk of shark attacks

With around 5.5 million inhabitants, Sydney is Australia’s most populous city. However, the likelihood of being bitten by a shark there or elsewhere Down Under is very low. Last year, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, which is run by researchers, wildlife experts and authorities, there was only one fatal shark attack nationwide. This year there have been three – not counting the incident on Saturday.

However, dangerous species such as the comparatively aggressive bull sharks are now spending more and more time around Sydney Harbour and beaches due to climate change and rising sea temperatures – posing an increasing danger to swimmers and surfers. A study by James Cook University in Queensland found that the predatory fish spend around 15 days more off the coast of Sydney in summer than they did 15 years ago. The Pacific Ocean there is warming even faster than the water in most other marine regions of the world.

The Sydney man had been in the water with mates for about half an hour on Saturday morning off the city’s northern beaches.

The arrival of spring, after weeks of torrential rain, and an easing swell, had sent thousands back to the water across the city.

He was sitting on his board, behind the surf break – about 100 metres from the shore of Long Reef beach, police estimated – when witnesses said he was suddenly dragged under the water, taken by what is suspected to have been a great white shark.

Fellow surfers, who’d gone in to the beach, went back to the water to pull him to the shore, but he had sustained “catastrophic injuries”, police said (losing both legs, according to lifesaving sources), and could not be resuscitated. He had died in the water.

Local media reported that the man, a 57-year-old father of one and experienced surfer, was part of the area’s tight-knit surfing community.

The Dee Why and neighbouring Long Reef beaches are known surf spots, framed by two sweeping headlines on the coastline in the northern suburbs of Sydney. In the hours after the attack, a handful of friends, some still in wetsuits from the water, and family, who arrived after the tragedy, consoled each other, hugging as they sat in a tight knot on the sand.

Metres away, emergency services workers had pitched a marquee, cordoned off by police tape. Police boats and surf lifesavers on jetskis patrolled the otherwise empty water off the beach – along with drones and a helicopter – looking for the shark.

“It’s a terrible, terrible thing,” New South Wales police Supt John Duncan said later. “It’s one of those freak incidents that happens very, very rarely … a great tragedy.”

The return of warmer weather heralds a return to the beach for this part of the world.

Within weeks across Australia, weekends at beaches will soon be dominated by junior lifesavers – known as “nippers” – swimming and board-riding along thousands of kilometres of coastline. A junior surfing competition was being held nearby at the time of the attack on Saturday.

Rod McGibbon, of NSW Surf Life Saving, told reporters on Saturday that the attack was a deeply confronting scene. “We understand both him and his board disappeared underwater and it’s quite brave of those people to go in and rescue him while there’s a shark in the water,” he said.

“It’s a very considerate community,” he reflected. “They look after one another. If they see somebody in trouble, they generally help out.”

Local surfer Bill Sakula was preparing to go in when news of the attack broke.

“It’s going to send shock waves through the community,” he said. “Everyone is going to be a little bit nervous for a while.”

Sakula described the attack as “absolutely tragic”. But he said surfers understood and accepted the risk of shark attack: “At some point, we’re all going to paddle back out … it’s a passion”.

Two sections of the man’s surfboard were recovered from the water and are being examined to help determine the species of shark.

There have been several fatal shark attacks along different Australian coastlines in recent years.

In February, 17-year-old Charlize Zmuda suffered fatal wounds when she was attacked while swimming at Woorim beach in south-east Queensland. She died shortly after being pulled from the water.

And in March, Victorian holidaymaker Steven Payne, 37, died after he was bitten by a great white shark as he surfed on a West Australian beach near Esperance. His remains were never recovered.

There is increased awareness of sharks – there has been a surge in amateur and professional drone presence monitoring the water, and online apps now alert swimmers to the presence of tagged sharks near beaches – but attacks are not common in Sydney.

The last fatal attack in the city was in 2022 when British diving instructor Simon Nellist was taken by a great white while swimming in deep water off rocks in Little Bay, south of the city.

A swimmer was attacked by a bull shark off a wharf in Elizabeth Bay, also inside the harbour, in 2024, but survived.

Prof Charlie Huveneers of Flinders University, research leader of the Southern Shark Ecology Group, said despite the “high variability” in risk, Australia was following a global trend of increasing numbers of shark attacks.

Huveneers said the risk of shark bite was difficult to predict and influenced by a wide range of factors, including human population growth, habitat modification and destruction, declining water quality, climate change and anomalous weather patterns.

“It is likely to be due to a combination of these factors, rather than just one.”

View image in fullscreen Signs near the site of a fatal shark attack at Dee Why beach on Saturday. Photograph: Mark Baker/AP

Saturday’s attack is likely to refocus debate on Sydney’s coastline over the use of shark nets on city beaches. The man was surfing on a stretch of beach in between Dee Why and Long Reef beaches, about 100 metres north of the Dee Why surf club. Dee Why has a shark net installed about 500 metres from shore: Long Reef, immediately north, is not netted.

The nets are not comprehensive shields protecting beachgoers; rather, they are nets about 150m long and sixm deep, set 10-12m below the surface, about 500m from the shore. Sharks and other marine animals can swim over, under or around.

Critics argue they offer little protection – “like a table tennis net on a soccer pitch” – citing research that shows 40% of the sharks caught in nets are on entrapped on the inside, and that the nets also indiscriminately catch other marine life.

Research published in 2024 found no difference in unprovoked human-shark interactions at netted versus un-netted beaches since the 2000s.

NSW – Australia’s most populous state – first introduced nets in the 1930s, but their use has since expanded to include 51 beaches between Newcastle, north of Sydney, and Wollongong to the south.

The state has a broader shark management program, which includes drone surveillance, shark tagging, and real-time detection, as well as SMART drumlines (where sharks are caught, tagged and released) and community education.

On Saturday night, locals had begun sharing tributes online. One posted that the Sydney surf community had lost one of its own.

“A man doing what he loved – chasing waves – never made it back to shore. Our thoughts are with his family, his mates, and every surfer feeling this hit tonight,” they wrote. “For all who live and breathe the saltwater life, we ride on.”

“To lose such a keystone … in so radical a sudden way leaves anyone with a sense of heritage stone cold heartbroken,” wrote another.

“There, but for the Grace of God, go us.”

– with AAP

An experienced surfer and father has died after being mauled by a shark on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

NSW Police said the 57-year-old man was surfing with a group of friends at Long Reef Beach just after 9:30am on Saturday when he was attacked by a large shark.

His friends returned to shore safely, but the man’s body was later found floating in the surf and was missing “a number of limbs”.

Emergency services were called to Long Reef Beach just after 10am on Saturday. (ABC News: Alexander Lewis)

Detective Superintendent John Duncan said the man had been in the water for 30 minutes and was only 100 metres from the beach, before “both him and his board disappeared underwater”.

“There was a couple of other surfers [who] managed to see him in the surf and managed to get him back out,” he said.

“But unfortunately by that time, we understand he’d lost probably a lot of blood and, yeah, resuscitation was not possible.”

Superintendent Duncan described the attack as a “freak” incident of a kind that happens “very, very rarely”.

“We understand he leaves behind a wife and a young daughter, and obviously tomorrow being Father’s Day it’s particularly very tragic,” he said.

Police said the man was pulled from the water unresponsive along with large sections of a surfboard.

“Officers attached to Northern Beaches Police Area Command have closed the beach and will liaise with experts from the Department of Primary Industries to determine the species of shark involved,” police said in an earlier statement.

” Two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for expert examination. ”

Police say the surfer had been in the water for about 30 minutes before he was attacked. (ABC News: Liam Patrick)

Dee Why Beach will stay shut for the next 48 to 72 hours, while remaining beaches between Manly and Narrabeen will stay closed for 24 hours.

Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) said the man was part of a group surfing to the north of the lifeguard tower toward Long Reef, away from the patrolled area.

“Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy,” Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said in a statement.

“Volunteers will continue to assist Council and authorities to protect the public from further danger in any way we can.”

Drones are on the scene scanning the beach for further shark activity.

Beaches between Manly and Narrabeen have been closed. (ABC News: Alexander Lewis)

The Northern Beaches Council has paid tribute to the family, and thanked all the first responders at the scene for their “swift and professional response”, including members of the public who assisted.

“There has been a tragic loss of life on one of our beaches, and our deepest condolences today are with the man’s family and friends,” it said in a statement.

“Beach goers are advised to check the website for ongoing closures in the coming days.”

Attack ‘to send shock waves through the community’

A witness told the ABC he was heading to Shelly Beach at Manly when an alert sounded.

“A megaphone announcement from a boat was warning ‘there has been a shark attack, please get out of the water for your own safety’,” he said.

Local Bill Sukala was leaving his house to go for a surf when he got a notification about the attack.

Local Bill Sukala says he was about to head out for a surf when he received a message about the shark attack. (ABC News: Alexander Lewis)

“The next thing the helicopters were setting up and all hell was breaking loose,” he said.

Mr Sukala, who has surfed all over the world in some of the “sharkiest” places, said he could have been in harm’s way had he headed out earlier.

“It’s a risk that every surfer accepts,” he said.

“We don’t like it, we know that statistically it’s an unlikely probability, but yeah, we take it in stride and hope it’s not us.”

Mr Sukala, who started surfing when he was young, said the local community would be spooked for some time.

“I think it’s going to send shock waves through the community, I think everyone is going to be nervous for a while,” he said.

“At some point we’re going to paddle back out — I know people that don’t surf would look at that and go, ‘That’s absolutely crazy’, but that’s the risk that we accept.”

SLSNSW has cancelled all water activities at nearby beaches this weekend.

Authorities have sent condolences to the man’s family and friends. (ABC News: Alexander Lewis)

NSW Premier Chris Minns called the incident an “awful tragedy” in a statement issued this afternoon, also thanking those that “helped in such tough and confronting circumstances”.

“My heart goes out to the victim’s family and friends,” he said.

“Shark attacks are rare, but they leave a huge mark on everyone involved, particularly the close knit surfing community.”

NSW government investigating

The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said biologists would assess photographs from the incident to determine the species of shark involved.

“The NSW Government’s thoughts are with the bite victim, their family and the first responders,” a DPIRD spokesperson said in a statement.

“Three SMART drumlines were set by the DPIRD contractor off Dee Why this morning as is normal practice.

“An additional two SMART drumlines have now been set between Long Reef and Dee Why. There is a shark net in place off Dee Why beach.”