A man is dead after a suspected shark attack off Sydney’s northern Beaches on Saturday, prompting the closure of several popular swimming and surfing locations.
The man, who has not been identified, suffered critical injuries and died at the scene after being pulled from the water near Long Reef Beach. Police confirmed they responded to reports of a shark bite and are investigating.
“A man has died on the Northern Beaches after being bitten by what is believed to have been a large shark,” police said.
Fragments of a surfboard recovered from the scene are undergoing forensic examination. The attack marks the first fatal shark encounter in Sydney since 2022, when British diving instructor Simon Nellist, 35, was killed at Little Bay. Prior to that,the city had not experienced a fatal shark attack since 1963.
Beaches between Manly and Narrabeen on the Pacific Ocean side have been closed “pending further notice.” Emergency services were alerted to the incident after receiving reports of the man’s injuries.
According to an unnamed surfer who witnessed the aftermath, four or five people helped bring the man ashore. “It looked like a significant part of his lower half had been attacked,” the surfer told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.
The surfer added that lifeguards quickly ordered everyone out of the water, waving a red flag. “I didn’t know what it was… but thought I should probably go in [to shore],” he said.
