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 on Saturday 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 World 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 fifties, 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.
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