Surfer killed in shark attack at Dee Why after warning friends, rescuers say

A 57-year-old surfer was killed in a shark attack at Dee Why Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches after he spent his final moments warning friends and trying to gather them for safety, fellow surfers and police said.

Mercury “Merc” Psillakis was bitten just after 10 a.m. on Saturday, suffering catastrophic injuries that rescuers and police said were unsurvivable. Witnesses described a large shark breaching from behind and striking Mr. Psillakis, whose board was cut in half during the attack. Fellow surfers dragged his torso about 100 metres to shore, attempting to shield the scene with their boards and render aid.

Toby Martin, a former professional surfer and close friend of Mr. Psillakis, told the Daily Telegraph that Mr. Psillakis had been at the back of a group, calling for people to come together, 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," Mr. Martin said. "It came straight from behind and breached and dropped straight on him. It's the worst-case scenario."

Eyewitness Mark Morgenthal told Sky News he saw the shark’s tail fin and estimated the distance between the dorsal and tail fins at about four metres, adding that the animal appeared "huge." Police and lifeguards ran along the beach between Dee Why and nearby Long Reef to warn swimmers and surfers to exit the water.

Superintendent John Duncan of New South Wales Police praised the surfers who brought Mr. Psillakis ashore but said nothing could have saved him. "He suffered catastrophic injuries," Supt. Duncan said. Authorities have not confirmed the species of the shark, but the speed and force of the strike led officials and witnesses to say the attack had the hallmarks of a great white.

Mr. Psillakis, who is survived by his wife, Maria, and a young daughter, was known in the local surfing community. His twin brother, Mike, had attended a junior surf competition at Long Reef earlier the same morning and watched Mr. Psillakis swim out.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called the death an "awful tragedy," noting that shark attacks are rare but leave a deep impact on affected families and the broader surfing community. The attack on Saturday was the first fatal shark attack recorded at Dee Why since 1934.

In response to the incident and with the summer season approaching, authorities deployed shark nets off 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong on Monday. Officials said Dee Why was protected by nets at the time of the attack; nearby Long Reef was not. Police noted that only one recorded fatal shark attack at a netted beach in New South Wales occurred previously, at Merewether in Newcastle in 1951.

Great white shark activity typically increases along Australia's east coast during the whale migration season, officials said, but they cautioned that the species involved in Saturday's attack had not been formally identified. All beaches between Narrabeen and Manly were closed following the attack and were not expected to reopen until Monday while authorities assessed safety and carried out patrols.

Lifeguards and police are continuing their investigations into the circumstances of the attack and were speaking with witnesses and other surfers who were in the water. Counselling and support services have been offered to family members, witnesses and first responders, authorities said.

The local surfing community, shaken by the incident, gathered at the scene in the hours after the attack. Officials reiterated standard water-safety advice for swimmers and surfers and urged anyone using the ocean to remain vigilant and heed warnings from lifeguards and police.