Schoolboy loses fight for life after shark attack

A 12-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while swimming with his friends at a popular beach and lost his fight for life.

Nico Antic suffered serious leg injuries after being bitten by a shark at a popular swimming spot at Vaucluse in Sydney’s east on Sunday.

It was the first of four shark bites in three days in NSW, causing widespread community concern and beach closures.

Sadly, the 12-year-old boy died on Saturday, almost a week after the attack.

His parents, Lorena and Juan, said in their statement: “We are saddened to share that our son Nico has passed away.”

“Nico was a happy, friendly and sporty young boy with an extremely kind and generous spirit.

“She was always full of life and that is how we will remember her.”

The couple thanked first responders and Sydney Children’s Hospital teams “for everything they did to care for Nico” as well as those in the community for their support.

The Antic family was preparing for the “worst possible outcome” after learning Nico had suffered devastating leg injuries.

A family friend organized a fundraiser that raised more than $238,000.

The tragedy occurred when Nico jumped off a rock ledge along the Hermitage Foreshore Walk near Shark Beach and authorities blamed the bull shark.

Shark attacks have occurred this week at Sydney’s Dee Why and Manly beaches, as well as Point Plomer on the mid-north coast, where the male victim was taken to hospital with a chest injury.

The incidents triggered debate about the effectiveness of shark mitigation techniques and the effectiveness of warnings when weather conditions remove shark activity.

They follow the fatal shark attack on 57-year-old Mercury Psillakis, who was bitten while surfing at Sydney’s Long Reef beach in September.

All NSW beaches were expected to be open over the Australia Day long weekend, despite multiple incidents causing closures for days.

NSW’s shark management programme, which received a $2.5 million boost in December, includes SMART drum lines and drone patrols at 50 beaches during school holidays.

There are also 37 tagged shark listening stations that send alerts when a white, bull or tiger shark swims within 500 metres.