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Bondi Paddle-Out Honors 12-Year-Old Nico Antic After Fatal Sydney Harbour Shark Bite

Authorities responded with expanded tagging, daily drone patrols, new harbour listening stations.

A lifeguards places a sign at Manly Beach, after a man was attacked by a shark in the afternoon, the second attack in Sydney's northern beaches on the day and the third attack in 24 hours, Australia, January 19, 2026. REUTERS/ Jeremy Piper/File Photo
Beachgoers at Queenscliff Beach walk past warning signs, with beaches closed after recent shark attacks in Sydney, Australia, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Jeremy Piper, Australia, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Jeremy Piper
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Overview

  • Hundreds of students, surf lifesavers and locals formed a circle in the water at North Bondi in a memorial organized by Rose Bay Secondary College.
  • Nico’s parents, Juan Pablo and Lorena Antic, joined the paddle-out and thanked supporters as mourners remembered the boy’s bravery and love of the ocean.
  • The 12-year-old suffered severe leg injuries in a suspected bull shark attack near Nielsen Park in mid-January and later died in hospital.
  • Officials note the bite was the first fatal shark attack inside Sydney Harbour in more than six decades during a period of murky, rain-affected water along the NSW coast.
  • NSW extended monitoring and safety measures after the recent incidents, the Cole Classic ocean swim was postponed to February 22, and a community fundraiser for the Antic family surpassed $270,000.