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The man who was mauled to death by what police said was a ‘large’ shark at Dee Why’s Long Reef Beach on Saturday was a local business owner and experienced surfer.
Psillakis leaves behind a wife and young daughter.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said Psillakis was an experienced surfer and part of Dee Why’s surfing community.
“It’s shocking for his family and for the people of the Northern Beaches,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
‘We will never forget you’
Psillakis was a Long Reef Boardriders surfing champion, and on Sunday the club said in a post on Instagram it has lost its “favourite son”.
“Mercury was loved by everyone. He was a passionate, caring, loyal, loving husband, father, son, brother and friend to everyone,” the club said.
“This is something that will have such a massive effect on our community and the wider community. We lost our treasured friend and we will never forget you.”
Tributes flowed online, with one surfer saying Psillakis would always welcome him with open arms when he travelled down to Sydney.
“Sincere condolences to his wife and family, you are forever in the surf riding your last wave,” they said.
Another man said the Northern Beaches had been keyed for generations by tight groupings of surfing siblings.
“To lose such a keystone in Mercury in so radical, a sudden way leaves anyone with sense of heritage stone cold heartbroken,” he said.
Shark net removal trial on hold
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, each asked to nominate a beach where nets could be removed.
The NSW government planned a trial of net-free beaches but Minns said it stalled because agreement could not be reached on locations.
A decision on proceeding will not be made until after the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development reports back on Saturday’s fatal shark attack, the premier said.
“This is a terrible event,” Minns said.
Minns provided no firm timeline for the report, saying he wanted to give investigators time to provide advice about whether the attack was likely to be a frequent occurrence or was an isolated event.
“We need to understand what happened and how it happened,” he said.
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.
