Dad screamed 'don't bite me' moments before being dismembered by shark

A dad who was killed in an awful shark attack cried "don't bite me" just moments before being mauled and dismembered by the giant sea creature.

Witnesses said Mercury Psillakis, 57, was pulled from the water by the Long Reef and Dee Why beaches near Sydney, Australia, after he was attacked by a huge shark on Saturday. The dad-of-one was out surfing when the huge shark, which it is thought could have been a great white, attacked.

Mr Psillakis was dragged onto the shore by fellow surfers at around 10am. Sadly, he did not survive, as NSW Police confirmed in a statement: . "He was retrieved from the surf and brought to the shore; however, died at the scene."

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"There was a guy screaming, 'I don't want to get bitten, I don't want to get bitten, don't bite me',” said witness Mark Morgenthal to Sky News Australia. "I saw the dorsal fin of the shark come up, and it was huge.

"Then I saw the tail fin come up and start kicking, and the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail fin looked to be about four metres, so it actually looked like a six-metre shark."

Locals think the creature could have been a deadly great white because of its size, an estimated 20ft. Sections of the surfboard Mr Psillakis was using have been sent for analysis.

Mr Psillakis, an experienced surfer, had only been in the water for around 30 minutes when a shark violently attacked him. New South Wales police Inspector Stuart Thomson said Mr Psillakis suffered “catastrophic injuries” including the loss of several limbs.

According to local media Mr Psillakis, a twin, was local to the area and a husband to Maria and dad to a young daughter. His death occurred only one day before Father’s Day in Australia.

“Everyone knows the Psillakis family,” one local said. “They’ve always lived around here and they really are a big part of the community. “This is going to be really tough for a lot of people.”

Eyewitnesses recalled seeing a group of people "crying in a circle" from the water. It is reported one of Mr Psillakis' relatives fell into the sand in tears, while another was comforted by loved ones.

Police inspector Thomson said the death was “tragic”. He said: "It would appear that a large shark has attacked him and as a result of that he lost a number of limbs.

"His friends managed to make it back to the beach safely, and a short time later his body was found floating in the surf. Unfortunately by that time we understand he’d lost probably a lot of blood and resuscitation was not possible. We understand he leaves behind a wife and a young daughter – with tomorrow being Father’s Day, it’s particularly tragic."

According to eyewitnesses, a marine safety vessel could be seen searching the waters for the shark, which experts also predicted was a great white. One said they saw "at least four helicopters flying overhead in just ten minutes."

Surf Lifesavers confirmed Dee Why Beach would be closed until further notice. Beaches between Manly and Narrabeen were also to remain closed for at least 24 hours.