After a period of reflection, Maria Psillakis has decided to open up about the tragic death of her husband, Mercury Psillakis, who was killed in a shark attack off Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Maria is dedicated to ensuring no other family endures the same anguish of losing a loved one to such a tragedy.

“Losing Merc has left a void in my heart that words cannot express. He was my rock, my everything,” Maria shared.

On September 6, Mercury Psillakis was enjoying a surfing session with friends at Dee Why. Tragically, he was attacked by a great white shark just 30 minutes into the activity.

Maria is determined to honor her husband’s memory by advocating for measures that could reduce the risk of future attacks. “If we can find a positive outcome from this loss, I just want to minimize the risk and hopefully prevent this from happening to another family,” she expressed.

“I have a little girl that keeps on asking why, and I don’t know what to tell her.”

It happened two weeks before the start of the patrol season.

The surf club was closed and the shark alarm was not triggered for 45 minutes.

“Not half an hour later, there were children swimming within 10 metres of where my husband was.”

Maria understands that the ocean will always be dangerous for surfers.

“He knew the risks involved, he was aware that it was their territory and not his.”

Maria now has questions she wants answered about how to minimise the risk of shark attacks, including the use of drones, which are only used in Sydney for shark patrols in Summer.

She also wants to strengthen protections.

Mercury was 80 metres offshore, and the predator was untagged with smart drum lines, meaning authorities couldn’t detect it.

“I want to advocate for evidence-based systems to perhaps prevent another tragedy like this.”

Member for Wakehurst Michael Regan is helping her fight for change.

”Maria, along with Surfing NSW, approached us with a drone program that they wanted to roll out in the metro areas that exist in the regional areas,” he said.

Maria is taking her fight for change all the way to the top, asking Premier Chris Minns to sit down for a round table with scientists, surf lifesavers, and the community to save lives.

“I want [Mercury] to be remembered as the remarkable guy he was… is.”