SYDNEY: Australian authorities have deployed drones and a helicopter to monitor waters around a popular Sydney beach following a fatal shark attack on Saturday.
Two beaches in Australia’s most populous city remained closed on Sunday after the attack occurred approximately 100 metres from shore at Long Reef Beach.
The experienced surfer was pulled from the water by other surfers but had lost too much blood and died at the scene according to police.
This marks the first shark-attack death in Sydney since a swimmer was killed off a beach in February 2022 and the city’s first since 1963.
Surf Life Saving NSW deployed drones and a helicopter on Sunday to surveil the area for the shark according to the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Additional SMART drumlines using satellite technology to notify authorities when a shark is hooked have also been installed in the area.
Government shark biologists assessed photos of the victim’s surfboard and determined a white shark approximately 3.4-3.6 metres in length was likely responsible for the attack.
White sharks are commonly known as great white sharks or white pointers according to the agency.
Saturday’s incident represents the fourth fatal shark attack in Australia in 2025 according to data from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo operator.
A surfer was killed by a shark in shallow water on a remote Western Australia beach in March according to reports.
Australia ranked behind only the United States in unprovoked shark bites on humans in 2024 based on the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. – Reuters