A surfer who was fatally mauled by a great white shark off Sydney's Northern Beaches has been hailed as a hero for his final act of pushing a friend to safety. Mercury Psillakis, 57, was attacked just after 10 am on Saturday (September 6) at Long Reef Beach.
Witnesses described the shark as massive, with one saying the distance between its dorsal and tail fins appeared to be about four metres, suggesting a six-metre shark. Psillakis' surfboard was cut in half, and he lost both legs before being pronounced dead.
Close friend and former pro surfer Toby Martin spoke of Psillakis' heroic final moments. 'He was at the back of the pack still trying to get everyone together when the shark just lined him up,' Martin told the Daily Telegraph. 'It came straight from behind and breached and dropped straight on him.'
Martin, who arrived at the beach with Psillakis' wife Maria after the incident, commended his friend's selflessness. 'Heroic to the end...self-preservation wasn't there, just the safety of the others was important for him,' he said.
Witness Mark Morgenthal told Sky News he heard a man screaming, 'I don't want to get bitten, I don't want to get bitten, don't bite me.' The attack occurred on the eve of Father's Day in Australia, adding to the tragedy.
