The brother of surfer Mercury Psillakis, killed in a shark attack off Dee Why Beach on Saturday, September 6, has shared a moving tribute describing their unbreakable bond.
Psillakis, 57, was surfing with friends about 100 metres from shore when he was fatally mauled by what police described as a “freak accident.” Witnesses said he spotted the shark, warned others to “band together” and tried to guide them to safety before being struck.
On Instagram, his twin brother Mike wrote: “This is the hardest moment of my life. He was my Ying, I was his Yang. He was my mirror, my blood, my DNA. We were telepathic. We share the same soul.”
He continued: “Mercury was my life, my right-hand man. Words cannot describe the bond we had together growing up. We had our own language and shared the same dreams, literally. The experiences we had together were truly amazing.”
The Psillakis twins were well known across Sydney’s northern beaches surf community, with Mike running Psillakis Surfboards in Brookvale. Locals described the family as “part of the fabric of the community,” while friends called Mercury’s loss a “deep blow” just hours before Father’s Day.
Former professional surfer Toby Martin praised him as “stoic, heroic to the end,” saying: “Self-preservation wasn’t there — just the safety of the others was important for him.”
The tragedy has prompted the NSW Government to pause its planned shark net removal trial until an investigation into the incident is completed.
Premier Chris Minns called Psillakis “a ripper bloke,” adding: “He didn’t just paddle in by himself, he was getting his mates out. It’s a tribute that he probably wouldn’t want, but it should be recognised.”
