In brief
In a tragic incident at Long Reef Beach in Sydney, a man has died following a suspected shark attack while surfing. Despite being an experienced surfer, he suffered critical injuries shortly after entering the water. The police have reported the attack happened about 100 meters off the shore, resulting in significant limb loss. Emergency services were unable to revive the man after he was brought to the beach. The local authorities are now working to identify the species of shark involved as beach closures affect the popular surfing area.
A man has died on a Sydney beach after being bitten by a suspected large shark, Australia's New South Wales police have reported.
In a statement, the police confirmed that the man had been pulled from the morning surf onto the shore at Long Reef Beach but unfortunately died at the scene.
Two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for expert examination, the police statement continued.
Saturday's incident has led to several closures in the popular area known as the Northern Beaches.
The state police added that emergency services received reports shortly after 10:00 AM local time that a man had suffered critical injuries due to a shark bite.
During a news briefing later that day, police described the victim as an experienced surfer who had been in the water with friends for only about 30 minutes when he was attacked approximately 100m (328ft) off the shore, resulting in the loss of a number of limbs.
Rod McGibbon, a duty officer from Surf Life Saving, stated that the victim had been brought to the beach by other surfers. He indicated that beach closures would likely be in effect for between 24 and 72 hours.
The name of the victim has not been publicly released, and local police are collaborating with experts to determine the species of shark involved in the incident.
Notably, the last deadly shark attack in the Sydney region occurred in 2022, involving Simon Nellist, a British diving instructor, who was mauled by a great white shark. Prior to that incident, there had not been a fatal attack since 1963.
Australia typically sees about 20 shark attacks each year, with a significant number occurring in New South Wales and Western Australia. Historically, fatalities from shark bites in Australia are rare, with a mortality rate of only 0.9 per year over the last century.
