Overview

• Police say the man was attacked around 9:30am while surfing with friends near Long Reef and was brought ashore but died at the scene.
• The encounter occurred about 100 metres from shore after roughly 30 minutes in the water, and fellow surfers retrieved him as lifesavers cleared the area.
• Beaches from Manly to Narrabeen are closed for at least 24 hours, with Dee Why expected to remain shut for 48–72 hours as a precaution, and local clubs cancelled water activities.
• Two sections of the surfboard were recovered for expert examination, with NSW Police and DPIRD working to determine the species involved.
• Drones, jet skis, a helicopter and SMART drumlines were deployed, a shark net is in place off Dee Why, and officials note Sydney’s last fatal shark attack was in 2022.