Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out into the waves off Australia’s Bondi Beach on Sunday to pay tribute to a 12-year-old boy who died after being attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour.
Family and friends formed a large circle in the ocean, splashing the water in memory of the boy, Nico Antic, television footage showed.
“We love this kid so much, our Nico. We’re going to miss him, miss him forever,” his father told those gathered on the Sydney beach, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Nico Antic was a member of the “nippers” junior lifesaving programme at North Bondi.
He was bitten by a suspected bull shark on 18 January while playing with friends at a Sydney Harbour beach, jumping off a rock into the water.
He suffered severe leg injuries and less than a week later, his parents said he had died in hospital.
“A beautiful tribute for Nico,” his Sydney school said in a social media post, accompanied by a photograph of the Bondi Beach paddle-out.
The shark attack was one of four recorded within 48 hours in New South Wales, prompting authorities to temporarily close dozens of beaches.
Officials said heavy rainfall draining into the harbour and coastal waters had turned the water brackish, increasing the risk of shark attacks.
There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents in Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 were fatal, according to a database of human–shark encounters.
