The 57-year-old dad and Northern Beaches local who was brutally mauled by a “huge” shark on Saturday morning has been identified as Mercury Psillakis, with NSW Police and Surf Life Saving NSW describing the incident as a “terrible tragedy.”
The traumatic incident unfolded between Dee Why and Long Reef beach about 100 metres north of the surf club with emergency crews arriving shortly after 10am.
Mercury Psillakis, a 57-year-old Northern Beaches local entered the water at 9:30am with a group of mates before being pulled to shore by friends and witnesses after the attack.
Despite being retrieved, Mr Psillakis tragically lost both his legs and died in the water.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday afternoon, Detective Superintendent John Duncan said the Mr Psillakis suffered “catastrophic injuries” and that he “lost a number of limbs.”
Superintendent Duncan said attempts to save the experienced surfer’s life were “unsuccessful” and that “resuscitation” was not possible as he had “lost a lot of blood.”
He said the incident was a “terrible tragedy” and that Mr Psillakis was leaving behind his wife Maria and a young daughter.
“We understand he leaves behind a wife and a young daughter – with tomorrow being Father’s Day, it’s particularly tragic,” he said.
Mr Psillakis and his twin brother Mike have resided in Dee Why since they were children and were described by community members as “warm and welcoming.”
“Everyone knows the Psillakis family, they’ve always lived around here and they really are a big part of the community,” a local told the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Psillakis’s sudden passing has left the tight knit Northern Beaches community heart broken, with locals stating the two brothers were beloved members of the surfing scene.
Mike is a renowned board shaper and runs the well known Psillakis Surfboards business while Mercury was a member of numerous community groups and clubs including the Long Reef Boardriders Association.
“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,” Superintendent Duncan said.
“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.”
Mr Psillakis was believed to be 50 metres behind the break and about 100 metres off the beach when he was fatally bitten.
“It’s one of those freak accidents that happens very, very rarely,” Superintendent Duncan said.
Mark Morgenthal, who was in the water at the time of the attack told Sky News the shark responsible was one of the biggest sharks he’d ever seen and that it looked to be about “6 metres.”
“There was a guy screaming, I don’t want to get bitten, I don’t want to get bitten, don’t bite me, and I saw the dorsal fin of the shark come up and it was huge,” Mr Morgenthal said.
“Then I saw the tail fin come up and start kicking and the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail fin looked to be about four metres, so it actually looked like a 6 metre shark.
Officers attached to the Northern Beaches Police Area Command have closed the beach and will liaise with experts from the Department of Primary Industries to determine the species of shark involved.
“At the moment we’re conducting examinations of the board, and the gentleman’s body, the Department of Primary Industries is the prime investigator for these kinds of attacks in terms of the type of shark, until they have done their investigations I can’t give you any further information about the type of shark we believe it was,” Superintendent Duncan said.
Police said that two sections of the surfboard had been recovered and taken for expert examination, with witnesses stating the shark had ripped off a chunk of the board.
Superintendent Duncan later confirmed Mr Psillakis’s surfboard was smashed in half.
Police and paramedics arrived at the scene in large numbers.
The Westpac rescue helicopter was seen circling the skies above while two jet skis patrolled the beach after the attack.
Superintendent Duncan said “a number of police boats, surf lifesaving volunteers, jet skis were out looking for the shark to see if we can can find it” and added that it had not been seen since.
A tent was also set up on the shore while Mr Psillakis remained on the beach surrounded by emergency service personnel for quite some time.
The beach has since been completely cordoned off, with authorities also closing all beaches between Manly to Narrabeen pending further advice.
Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches branch president Rod McGibbon said Dee Why would remain closed for “48 to 72 hours” and that all beaches between Narrabeen and Manly would remain closed for “24 hours.”
“It was horrific, we don’t have volunteers there, some surfers brought the victim back to the beach and then our teams were then engaged through drones and jet skis and other on water assets as part of that follow up activity,” Mr McGibbon said.
“From Surf Life Saving NSW and from Northern Beaches council we would obviously send our condolences to the family.
Emotional scenes were observed following the mauling, with the Daily Telegraph reporting that Mr Psillakis’s brother Mike fell to the ground out of grief when arriving at the beach.
The man’s family members, including his wife Maria were seen sobbing and embracing each other as they crouched on the sand next to the tent.
Mr Psillakis’s mother was also visibly shaken according to the Daily Telegraph and was struggling to stand up as family members and surfers consoled her.
Paramedics were seen slowly leaving the beach at about 12pm carrying large amounts of gear.
A sizeable crowd gathered at the Dee Why surf life saving club.
A junior surfing competition, the Wicks Northern Beaches Junior Teams Challenge was also reportedly underway when the attack occurred.
Surf Life Saving NSW stated the man was surfing with a group in an unpatrolled area of the beach north of the lifeguard tower and that drones had since been released to comb the water for “any signs of further shark activity.”
“Our deepest condolences go to the family of the man involved in this terrible tragedy,” Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said in a statement.
“Volunteers will continue to assist [Northern Beaches] Council and authorities to protect the public from further danger in any way we can.
“For now, please remain clear of the water at beaches in the vicinity and follow the direction of lifeguards and lifesavers.”
The shark is yet to be sighted.
Sydney woman Sophie Lumsden, who was at Dee Why at the time, said the atmosphere on the sand quickly turned grim.
“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 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 last time Sydney recorded a fatal shark attack was in 2022, when diving instructor Simon Nellist was killed by a great white at Little Bay – the city’s first deadly shark mauling in nearly six decades.
Mr Nellist’s death followed the infamous 1963 tragedy in which actress Marcia Hathaway was fatally bitten by a bull shark in Middle Harbour.
More recently, in 2024, kayaker Lauren O’Neill was attacked by a bull shark while swimming near Elizabeth Bay wharf. She survived the ordeal.
Dee Why is a netted beach, however Long Reef is not.
Nets were set up at Dee Why and 50 other beaches between Wollongong and Newcastle on Monday, which marked the first day of Spring.
Sharks have been known to swim around or over the 150 metre long rectangular nets .
SLSNSW has cancelled all water activities at nearby beaches this weekend.