A large shark killed a man surfing with friends over the weekend in a fatal attack in southeast Australian waters, local officials said.
The incident took place off the northern beaches in Sydney, the New South Wales Police Force said in a news release. The city, the capital of the state of New South Wales, is the largest in the country.
Police said emergency personnel responded to Long Reef Beach for reports about a man who had suffered critical injuries just after 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6.
The attack near Long Reef Beach occurred more than 300 feet offshore, police said.
During a news conference, police superintendent John Duncan told reporters a 57-year-old man had been surfing with about five or six friends prior to the attack.
The surfer, Duncan said, was “found floating in the surf” and pulled from the water by other surfers.
The man lost “a number of limbs” in the attack by “a large shark” and was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts, Duncan told reporters.
No other injuries were reported, Duncan said.
The identity of the shark attack victim has not been released.
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Shark researcher Gregory Skomal, right, with the state of Massachusetts, uses a camera to get underwater footage of a white shark during a research mission off Monomoy in 2023. At left is Brian Hanson, volunteer research assistant and member of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy board of directors.
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Who was killed by a shark in Australia?
A great white shark swims close to the surface of the shark tagging vessel in the ocean.
Police said they were working to confirm the identity of the victim, who police said left behind a wife and young daughter.
The attack marked the fourth fatality of its kind in the continent’s waters this year and the first of its kind in the city since 2022, according to data from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo and the Australian Shark-Incident Database.
The last attack in Sydney took place when a person swimming in shallow water was killed in February 2022, Reuters reported, marking Sydney’s first fatal shark attack since 1963.
Emergency services vessels and a helicopter are deployed, following an incident at Long Reef Beach where a surfer died after being attacked by a large shark, in Dee Why near Sydney, Australia September 6, 2025 in this screen grab obtained from social media video.
What kind of shark killed the surfer in Australia?
A drone view of Long Reef Beach, following an incident where a surfer died after being attacked by a large shark, in Dee Why near Sydney, Australia September 6, 2025 in this screen grab obtained from social media video.
It was not immediately clear what type of shark killed the surfer, police said.
Officials said two sections of a surfboard were recovered at the scene and “taken for expert examination.”
Northern Beaches Police Area Command closed the beach and was working with experts from the Department of Primary Industries to determine the species of shark involved in the man’s death.
Beaches between Manly and Narrabeen − a nearly 7-mile stretch − remained closed on Monday, Sept. 8, police said, pending further investigation.
How many people die from shark attacks every year?
According to data from the International Shark Attack File, run by the Florida Museum of Natural History, the world averages 65 documented shark attacks each year.
On average, six fatal attacks are reported annually, the data shows.
Last year, 47 people were bitten in unprovoked attacks.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man killed in shark attack while surfing at Sydney, Australia beach