Man killed in suspected shark attack off Sydney beach; nearby beaches closed

The victim was pulled from the morning surf at Long Reef Beach but “died at the scene,” AFP reported, citing a statement from New South Wales police.

“A man has died on the Northern Beaches after being bitten by what is believed to have been a large shark,” police said.

Two sections of a surfboard were recovered and taken for forensic examination. It is the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 2022, when 35-year-old British diving instructor Simon Nellist was killed off Little Bay. The previous fatal attack in the city occurred in 1963.

Following the latest incident, Pacific Ocean beaches between the northern suburbs of Manly and Narrabeen were closed “pending further notice.”

Police said emergency services rushed to the scene after alerts that the man, who has not been identified, had suffered “critical injuries.”

An unnamed surfer told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph that the victim had been surfing between Long Reef and Dee Why beaches.

“Four or five surfers pulled him out of the water and it looked like a significant part of his lower half had been attacked,”the surfer said.

People were ordered out of the water, he added. “There was a surf lifesaving guy waving a red flag. I didn’t know what it was … but thought I should probably go in (to shore).”