A drone view of Long Reef Beach, following an incident where a surfer died after being attacked by a large shark, in Dee Why near Sydney, Australia September 6, 2025 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. Robert Joodat/Instagram @ramin3m/via REUTERS

A 57-year-old man died in a shark attack while surfing at a beach in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 6, local police said.

Shortly after 10 a.m. local time, emergency services responded to Long Reef Beach in the Australian state New South Wales, for reports of a man with critical injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene, New South Wales police said in a news release.

The man was surfing with friends when a large shark attacked him, John Duncan, police superintendent for Sydney's Northern Beaches unit, said at a press conference.

The surfer "lost a number of limbs" and suffered "catastrophic injuries" in the attack, Duncan said.

"His body was found floating in the surf, and a couple of other people went out and recovered it," Duncan said, adding that the man's friends were able to make it safely to shore.

Surfer killed in shark attack leaves behind wife and young daughter, police say

The identity of the surfer has not been released, but Duncan said the man was a 57-year-old from Dee Why, a coastal suburb of Sydney, and is believed to have been an experienced surfer.

The man also leaves behind a wife and young daughter, police said. Sept. 7 is Father's Day in Australia.

"Obviously, tomorrow being Father's Day, it's particularly critical and particularly tragic," Duncan said.

Officials believe the surfer was about 320 feet away from shore when the attack occurred.

Investigation ongoing, beaches temporarily closed after fatal attack

Investigators will examine the man's body and his surfboard, which was split in half during the attack, to determine the species of the shark, Duncan said.

Authorities are also searching the water for the shark. While officials haven't confirmed the type of creature that attacked the man, several nearby witnesses reported seeing the shark before the incident, Duncan said.

Some nearby beaches were closed as a result of the incident as officials convened on site. They aren't expected to reopen for at least 24 hours after the attack, officials said.

"It's a terrible, terrible thing and it's one of those freak incidents that happens very, very rarely," Duncan said.

Australia's last fatal shark attack was in March, according to data from the Taronga Conservation Society Australia. In Sydney, the last deadly incident was in February 2022.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man dies in shark attack at beach in Sydney, Australia

Reporting by Melina Khan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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