Mercury Psillakis: Surfer dies in Dee Why shark attack after being mauled, prompting major emergency response

The identity of a surfer who died after being mauled by a shark on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, has been revealed as details emerge that he was a loving husband and father to a little girl.

Mercury Psillakis, 57, is believed to have lost both his legs before his body was brought to shore by surfers at Dee Why beach just after 10am on Saturday.

Mr Psillakis, a twin, was an experienced surfer and local to the area.

He was reportedly only in the water for 30 minutes before the attack.

A shark alarm was triggered at the beach, which has a shark net installed.

A witness told Daily Mail they saw a group of people ‘crying in a circle’ just metres from the water. It is understood one of Mr Psillakis’ relatives collapsed into the sand, while another was supported by loved ones.

Police confirmed the incident occurred just after 9am, with members of the public bringing the male victim to shore.

He was retrieved from the surf and brought to shore but died at the scene.

Police have closed the beach and will liaise with experts to determine the species of shark involved, but say they believe it to have been a “large shark.”

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

Northern Beaches Police Area Command Inspector Stuart Thomson told reporters on Saturday afternoon that the man 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.”

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.

“Four or five surfers pulled him out of the water and it looked like a significant part of his lower half had been attacked,” said one surfer to the Daily Telegraph, who witnessed the aftermath.

“They didn’t work on him when they got to the beach.”

Authorities immediately cleared swimmers and surfers from the water along the entire stretch between Dee Why and Long Reef.

“There was a surf life saving guy waving a red flag,” the surfer added.

“I didn’t know what it was... but thought I should probably go in.”

Sydney local Sophie Lumsden described the swift emergency response: “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.

“There is someone on the beach but it doesn’t look like they are doing much treating. They haven’t taken them off the beach yet, and cops are surrounding them. It doesn’t look good.”

“The lifeguard walked past me. I heard them say they were going to have to call the victim’s parents.”

A junior surfing competition is believed to have been underway nearby at the time of the attack.

Emergency crews, including the Westpac rescue helicopter, swarmed the area, drawing a crowd of onlookers outside the Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club.

Paramedics were later seen leaving the scene, their gear in hand, as police secured the area.

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

The identity of the man is to be confirmed.

Dee Why Beach currently has nets in place, following recent government discussions on whether to continue or remove them at selected beaches this summer.

The last fatal shark incident in Sydney was in 2022 when Simon Nellist was killed at Little Bay, marking the first such death since 1963.

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.

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.”

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.

Beaches between Manly and Narrabeen will remain closed for at least 24 hours.

- with AAP