Officials said that Australian authorities deployed drones and helicopters to monitor the waters surrounding a popular Sydney Beach after a great-white shark killed a surfer on Saturday.

The two beaches that were closed in Australia's largest city on Sunday remained so after the attack which took place on Saturday. It occurred about 100m (328ft) away from the shore, while the man was out surfing with his friends on Long Reef Beach in the northern part of New South Wales.

Police said that the experienced surfer had been pulled out of the water but was too blood-stained and died on the spot. This was the first death from a shark attack in Sydney since February 2022 when a swimmer drowned off a beach. It was also the first in the city since 1963.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said that on Sunday, Surf Life Saving NSW (the state's largest water rescue organization) deployed drones and helicopters to monitor the area in search of the shark.

In a press release, the company said that more SMART drumlines had been installed. These drumlines use satellite technology to alert authorities when a shark has hooked itself on a baited fishing line.

After examining photos of the victim’s surfboard, government shark biologists "determined that a White Shark approximately 3.4-3.6 meters (11.15-11.81 ft) in size was likely responsible" DPIRD stated.

According to the agency, white sharks can also be called great white sharks or even white pointers.

The data of the state-run Taronga Zoo in Sydney shows that Saturday's incident was the fourth fatal attack by sharks in Australia between now and 2025. A surfer in Western Australia was killed in March by a shark while swimming in shallow waters on a remote, isolated beach.

According to the University of Florida International Shark Attack File, Australia was second only to the United States for the number of shark bites that occurred without provocation on humans between 2024 and 2025.

(source: Reuters)