A man has died after being attacked by a suspected large shark while surfing off northern Sydney on Saturday, prompting the closure of several beaches.
Police said the victim was pulled from the water at Long Reef Beach with severe injuries but could not be saved. “A man has died on the Northern Beaches after being bitten by what is believed to have been a large shark,” New South Wales police said in a statement.
Pieces of the victim’s surfboard were found in the water and taken for forensic checks.
The attack is the first fatal shark incident in Sydney since 2022, when 35-year-old British diving instructor Simon Nellist was killed at Little Bay. Before that, the last deadly attack in the city happened in 1963.
Following Saturday’s tragedy, authorities shut down Pacific Ocean beaches from Manly to Narrabeen “pending further notice.”
An eyewitness surfer told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph that the man had been surfing between Long Reef and Dee Why when he was bitten. “Four or five surfers pulled him out of the water and it looked like a significant part of his lower half had been attacked,” the surfer said.
He added that lifesavers quickly warned everyone out of the water. “There was a surf lifesaving guy waving a red flag. I didn’t know what it was … but thought I should probably go in.”
Emergency services confirmed they responded immediately but the victim, who has not been named, was declared dead at the scene.
