Tragic Shark Attack Claims Life of Man at Sydney Beach

Tue Oct 21 2025 17:11:24 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A man has died after being attacked by a suspected large shark while swimming at Long Reef Beach in Sydney. Emergency services responded to reports of critical injuries, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. This incident has led to closures across the Northern Beaches area, with investigations ongoing.

A suspected shark attack at Long Reef Beach in Sydney has resulted in the death of a man, who sustained critical injuries and was deceased upon emergency services' arrival. The identity of the victim has not been revealed, and local authorities are conducting an investigation to determine the shark species involved. The last fatal shark attack in Sydney was recorded in 2022, underscoring the rarity of such incidents in the region.

A man has died on a Sydney beach after being bitten by a suspected 'large shark', Australia's New South Wales police have said.

In a statement, the police said emergency services pulled the man out of the morning surf onto the shore at Long Reef Beach - but he 'died at the scene'.

'Two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for expert examination,' the statement read.

Saturday's incident has resulted in a string of closures in the popular area known as the Northern Beaches.

The state police said the emergency services acted after receiving reports shortly after 10:00am local time on Saturday (00:00 GMT) that 'a man had suffered critical injuries'.

The victim's identity was yet to be confirmed.

Local police officers and experts would work together to 'determine the species of shark involved'.

The last deadly shark attack in the Sydney area was in 2022 when a British diving instructor was mauled by a great white shark.

Prior to that, there had not been a fatal attack since 1963.

Australia typically records about 20 shark attacks each year, predominantly occurring in New South Wales and Western Australia. Historically, dying from a shark bite is uncommon, with a shark attack mortality rate of 0.9, or less than one person per year, over the last century.