12-Year-Old Boy Attacked By Shark In Sydney Harbour Dies In Hospital

Hell of a week in Sydney. A rash of shark attacks over three consecutive days, likely all courtesy of bull sharks, has ended with one dead and another missing a leg. Nico Antic, the 12-year-old boy who suffered serious leg injuries after being bitten by a shark in Sydney’s east, has died in hospital, reported yesterday.

Nico was attacked by what authorities believe was a bull shark in Sydney Harbour, just off Jump Rock, near Nielson Park in Vaucluse at about 4:20pm on Sunday.

NSW Ambulance paramedics and police scrambled to stabilise the boy, tourniquets applied, CPR at one point, all while working under a blue tent for over an hour. When they finally moved him, he was in critical condition, both legs torn up, and he was rushed to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick. Yesterday, he lost the fight. 

“Nico was a happy, friendly, and sporty young boy with the most kind and generous spirit. He was always full of life and that’s how we’ll remember him,” said Nico’s parents. 

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Andre de Ruyter was surfing North Steyne beach in Manly when he was also mauled by what’s believed to be a bull shark. Emergency crews administered blood transfusions and CPR right there on the sand to keep him from bleeding out.

An eyewitness, a surfer named Ash, who not only paddled toward de Ruyter during the attack but also helped bring him in, saving his life, had this to say:

“He sort of paused to catch his breath and then the shouting started. He’s just going ‘Shark! Shark! Shark! Shark!’ And bouncing up and down, like, as I looked over and it was so animated I thought it was just a terrible joke. Then he starts shouting, ‘No joke, no joke! It’s biting me, it’s biting me! It’s eating me, it’s eating me! It’s killing me!’”

The two other surfers in the area sustained only minor injuries in separate incidents, with just a bit of surfboard trauma.

Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families during this incredibly difficult time.