Kelly Slater reveals link to Dee Why surfer killed in shark attack

Kelly Slater, the 11-time world champion, has revealed a personal connection to Mercury Psillakis and offered condolences after the 57-year-old Sydney surfer was killed in a shark attack at Dee Why beach on September 6.

Slater posted on Instagram that Psillakis had sanded one of his favourite boards, writing: "Fun fact, Mercury sanded my favourite board from @simonanderson_surfboards. 6'1-18'1/4-2'¼. Edges count." He added that he had been "in shock for the past week" and extended his sympathies to Psillakis' friends and family. Slater has about 3.3 million followers on the platform.

New South Wales Police said the attack occurred just after 10 a.m. on Saturday. Psillakis was recovered from the water and brought to shore by other surfers, but he died at the scene, police said. Reports indicate Psillakis likely lost both legs in the attack. He was an experienced surfer and had reportedly been in the water for about 30 minutes before the incident.

Psillakis' twin brother, Mike Psillakis, a noted surfboard shaper who runs Psillakis Surfboards in Brookvale, posted a tribute on Instagram describing his grief. "This is the hardest moment of my life... Mercury was my mirror, my blood, my DNA," Mike wrote. He urged people to tell their loved ones they are loved and to hold them tight.

Former professional surfer Toby Martin, a close friend of Psillakis, described the incident as a rapid and unusual attack. Martin said Psillakis was attempting to gather and protect a group of surfers when the shark struck. "He was at the back of the pack still trying to get everyone together when the shark just lined him up," Martin said. "They normally come from the side but this one came straight from behind, breached and dropped on him. It was so quick."

Following the attack, helicopters, lifeguards and police vessels searched the area for hours in an effort to locate the animal, police said. The incident prompted renewed attention to beach safety in Sydney's northern suburbs; the city's last fatal shark attack occurred in 2022 when a diver was killed at Little Bay.

Authorities are continuing routine inquiries into the circumstances of the attack. Psillakis is survived by his family and a wide circle of friends in the local surfing community, who have publicly mourned his death and praised his actions in the moments before the fatal encounter.