Friends have shared their grief after Mercury Psillakis was tragically killed by a shark during a surfing session in Australia.
The terrifying incident unfolded over the weekend when a great white shark approached the shores of Sydney’s Northern Beaches shortly after 10 am on Saturday (Sept 6).
Mercury Psillakis, aged 57, suffered a fatal attack when the shark emerged, biting him in half.
In the attack, Psillakis’ surfboard was also severed in two, and he lost both legs before he was pronounced dead.
Bystanders at the beach made every effort to retrieve Psillakis and bring him to shore, attempting to recover parts of his body and transport them to Long Reef Beach.
Mark Morgenthal, an eyewitness, described the shark as enormous and recounted the scene to Sky News.
He stated: “There was a guy screaming, ‘I don’t want to get bitten, I don’t want to get bitten, don’t bite me.’
“Then I saw the tail fin come up and start kicking, and the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail fin looked to be about four meters, so it actually looked like a six-meter shark.”
Additionally, Psillakis’ close friend and former professional surfer, Toby Martin, recounted the courageous actions Psillakis took just before the tragedy.
Martin, who arrived at the beach with Psillakis’ wife Maria after the attack, spoke to the Daily Telegraph about how his friend tried to alert others to the shark’s presence and gather them for safety.
He also described the sheer brutality of the attack.
Martin recounted: “He was at the back of the pack still trying to get everyone together when the shark just lined him up.
“It came straight from behind and breached and dropped straight on him. It’s the worst-case scenario.
“They normally come from the side, but this one came straight from behind, breached and dropped on him. It was so quick.”
ABC news reported that Martin also reflected on the profound loss of his friend, praising him for his courage and concern for others.
He added: “A really deep loss for us on the eve of Father’s Day for an avid surfer, loving father, loving husband, great son and great person.
“[He] was just doing what he wanted to do, in a place where he loved doing it.
“Heroic to the end…self-preservation wasn’t there, just the safety of the others was important for him.”