Beaches between Manly to Narrabeen have been closed pending further advice.
The identity of the man is yet to be confirmed.
Sydney resident Sophie Lumsden was at Dee Why at the time.
The man could not be saved and died at the scene. Photo / Supplied
“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.
“It doesn’t look good.”
NSW police and paramedics are at the scene, with the Westpac helicopter.
Saturday’s shark attack is the second in Sydney in the past three years.
A local diver was killed by a great white shark in a “rare and uncommon tragedy” in 2022.
Authorities at the time said the incident – which killed 35-year-old Wolli Creek man Simon Nellist – was the first fatal shark attack in Sydney 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 state government’s plans.
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins. Photo / Getty Images
“… We have been advocating for the removal of shark nets on all beaches and replacement with technology that maintains or improves swimmer safety,” 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,” Park said during a press conference in July.
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