Sylvie Claire / September 10, 2025
A surfer died on Saturday after being attacked “by what appears to be a large shark” on a beach in suburban Sydney, witnesses and Australian police said on Saturday, leading to the closure of several beaches.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning at Long Reef Beach, in the northern suburb of Dee Why. The man was brought to shore, but died on the spot.
He died “after being bitten by what appears to be a large shark”, police said, adding that two pieces of a surfboard were recovered for forensic examination to try to identify the species of shark.
According to the police, emergency services rushed to the scene after being alerted that the man had suffered “serious injuries”.
“Four or five surfers pulled him out of the water and it looked like a lot of his lower body had been attacked,” a witness told The Daily Telegraph.
Several beaches in the area have been closed “until further notice” following the tragedy. All the beaches between Manly and Narrabeen, a stretch of more than ten kilometers, have been temporarily closed to the public.
This is the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since the one that claimed the life of a 35-year-old British diving instructor in February 2022 in LittleBay, further south. The previous fatal attack in Sydney dates back to 1963.