Beaches remain closed after the “particularly tragic” death of a dad attacked by a shark the day before Father’s Day, amid a rethink of a multimillion-dollar shark management program.
The 57-year-old was pulled from the water by surfers on Saturday morning after being mauled by a large shark at Long Reef Beach on Sydney’s northern beaches.
He leaves behind a wife and young daughter, Police Superintendent John Duncan said.
“It’s one of those freak incidents that happens very, very rarely ... a great tragedy,” he told reporters on Saturday.
“[Sunday] being Father’s Day, it’s particularly tragic.”
The attack is believed to have happened about 100 metres offshore.
Beaches from Manly to Narrabeen were closed following the man’s death, with nearby Dee Why Beach expected to remain closed all weekend.
Pieces of a surfboard were taken for examination as government shark biologists work to identify the species of shark involved.
Premier Chris Minns said his heart went out to family and friends of the man killed.
“Shark attacks are rare but they leave a huge mark on everyone involved, particularly the close-knit surfing community,” he said.
The NSW government spends more than $21 million on its annual shark management program, with nets installed at 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong from the start of September.
Three councils, including the Northern Beaches Council, have each been asked to nominate a beach where nets can be removed.
“We asked them to nominate a beach and they didn’t but we will continue to work with those councils about what the program will look like,” Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty told a budget estimates hearing as nets were being installed at beaches on Monday.
The impact of nets on other wildlife has prompted a re-think about their use.
Nets were removed a month earlier than usual at the end of March to address concerns about increased turtle activity from April.
The state’s shark management plan also includes the use of drones to patrol beaches and drumlines to provide real-time alerts about sharks near the shore.
Long Reef Beach uses drumlines and does not have a shark net but nearby Dee Why Beach does.
Before Saturday’s attack, the last shark-related fatality in Sydney occurred in February 2022, when British diving instructor Simon Nellist was taken by a great white off Little Bay in the city’s east.
