A young surfer had an incredible escape on Monday morning when a shark attacked his surfboard at Sydney’s northern beaches.
The 11-year-old was surfing at Dee Why Point when a shark suddenly emerged from the water, chomping several times on his board.
In the attack, the shark managed to take out a large chunk of the board, leaving multiple smaller bite marks scattered across it.
Observers believe the shark was likely a bull shark, estimating it to be around four to five feet in length, although this has not been officially confirmed.
The boy called out for help and was quickly assisted back to safety by a fellow surfer, according to a report by The Manly Observer.
This incident follows closely on the heels of another attack, where a young boy was severely injured by a suspected bull shark in Sydney Harbour just the day before.
The 12-year-old was swimming with five friends at the western end of Nielsen Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs at about 4.20pm on Sunday.
Police believe he was jumping from a six-metre-high rock ledge known as Jump Rock, an area without shark nets, when he was attacked.
The boy remains in intensive care after suffering severe injuries to both legs.
The 11-year-old boy was surfing when a shark lunged from the water and took several bites out of his board at Dee Why Point
One bite removed a large section of the board entirely, with several smaller bite marks also visible
Shark expert Joel Nancarrow warned Aussies to stay out of the water for the next two weeks.
‘As we have mentioned, with the sharks being in larger numbers, sharks that usually wouldn’t bite a human, will have to become more opportunistic due to an increased competition for food,’ he said.
Mr Nancarrow warned Aussies of the danger of bull sharks particularly during periods of heavy rain combined with warm water and crowded beaches.
He explained that muddy water reduces visibility and pushes large predators out of rivers and into beaches and harbour-side swimming spots in search of food.
‘The boy is reportedly unharmed, but once again, more people need to be made aware of the increased danger at this current time.
‘Are attacks rare? Yeah – but in less than 24 hours, a 12-year-old and an 11-year-old have been attacked.
‘What if it were a man in a van who hurt two kids in public within a 24-hour period? Would it still be waved off as a rare occurrence and nothing to worry about?’
He rejected calls for a shark cull, saying adult bull sharks were ‘too smart’ to be caught on government drumlines.
Shark expert Joel Nancarrow said bull sharks are present in ‘massive numbers’ throughout Sydney Harbour, driven closer to shore by recent rainfall
‘The ship has sailed for a quick fix,’ he said.
‘It’s all about awareness now.’
The last shark attack in Sydney Harbour was in early 2024, when a young woman was bitten on the leg at Elizabeth Bay.
In February 2022, British expat Simon Nellist was killed by a great white shark at Little Bay, Sydney’s first fatal shark attack in six decades.
Before that, the city had not recorded a deadly mauling since 1963, when actress Marcia Hathaway was killed by a bull shark in shallow water at Middle Harbour.
More recently, veteran surfer Mercury Psillakis, 57, died after a great white attack at Long Reef Beach in September 2025.
Two months later, Swiss tourist Olivia Mulheim, in her 20s, was fatally mauled by a bull shark at Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park.
According to the Australian Shark Incident Database, Australia has recorded 312 fatal shark attacks since 1791.
Since 2000, 59 people have been killed, with almost half of those deaths occurring since 2020.
