September 7, 2025 • 5 mins
Surfer Mercury Psillakis tragically lost his life in a rare shark attack at Dee Why Beach. We speak with his mate Toby about the community’s response and the journey toward healing.
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
I heard podcasts, year more, kiss podcasts, playlists and listen
live on the Freeheart.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Robin and Kiv Now with Correo.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
It's the podcast Say.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Good Day.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
The northern beaches of Sydney remained closed this morning after
this tragic fatal shark attack over the weekend. I bloke
by the name of Mercury Silakis, fifty seven years old, husband, father,
daily surfer, hit by what seems to be a five meeting.
I meet a great white.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And this is where I believe those nets. I don't
believe they were.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I really don't like there's nets there and it was
it was on the news.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I have nets at Dhe Yeah, those nets don't really
go that d was that right? No, they aren't in
the surface. And for those that don't understand, like the
geography of d why it's like it's right next to Manley.
It's probably on a good day, it's a half hour
drive from the middle of Sydney. It's a real local beach.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
It's been a long time since there was a shark
attack there. But this guy, Mercury has died an absolute hero.
We've got one of his best mates who's going to
have a chat with us next and tell us exactly
what went down right.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
After justin Bieber's Robin and Kip now with Coreo. It's
on Kiss ninety seven three.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Toby, Hi, good morning, right, you lost your best friend.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Yeah, look, a surfing mate for forty years. We've grown
up together, surfing together, competing together, sharing great moments, great joys,
great sadness. But yeah, unfortunately a great mate, a great
part of our community here at dwy and Long Reef
(02:05):
has died doing what he absolutely loved to do. That's
the solo Swiss were taking out of things here this morning.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
So Mercury was a daily server. He loved getting out
there and every day. Yeah, and so what.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
They call a surf froffer.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, and so there were sightings of a great white
fairly recently, like within the last couple of days.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Look, the marine activity has been heightened the last couple
of months, so this hasn't been an anomaly that it's
just in the last couple of days. The last week,
we've had a lot of rainfall, which typically when there's
a lot of rainfall, all that water coming out into
the ocean creates a lot more activity. We've got some
(02:48):
warmer currents at the moment as well. So, yeah, some
unusual conditions and if you look at our rainfall over
that August periods same as it was since nine thirty
four when the last shark attack was So whether there's
any synergies in that ecological system or not, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I also read that he warned everyone, didn't.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
He surfers, We're kind of innately aware of our environment.
We're out there, the energy and reverberations. I've felt it
hundreds of times in the surfers every surfer or ocean
goer has. And he felt that reverberation and then saw
(03:27):
the shark, and his first instinct was to alert the
other surfers and his mates in the lineup and try
and corral them in as a group to represent a
larger object and get back to shore safely.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Right, So that was the plan. Every everyone stick together.
The shark might think we're too big, but he was
right at the back, is that right?
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, he was the last of the five. And then
in those moments from him corralling everyone else in the
boys turning around and seeing him disappear underwater, the splashing,
and then to bring the rest of mirth back to
shore was traumatic. I've spoken to a few of the
(04:10):
family this morning. As a board riding club down here
at day we've set up some counseling which will run
through not only the club but the people that are
involved and start the healing process and try and understand
this terrible accident.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You're obviously someone who loves surfing yourself, but how do
you cope with the fear of ever going back out
there again.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Well, look, it's our pleasure, it's our pain. You know,
the ocean can be lots of things. It's nice and
passive and calm today it can be fifteen to twenty
foot as we saw a month ago when Tommy Meyers
captured the world attention surfing two kilometers out there, just
down the road at Queenscliff and the boys out surfing
the Bomby and you know, so many other things that
(04:57):
your mind goes to where people are a lot more
subject to encounters with marine life, and to have it
so close to shore, it's just I guess some solace.
I mean, one of the boys said, you know, he's
taken the the one in one hundred million bullet for us,
Like your chances of this happening are just supremely rare,
(05:18):
and I just encourage everyone in the oceans and the
beach is not a dangerous place. We're going to get
back out there as soon as we can for ourselves,
for our community. The ocean is a greater elixir of life.
We washed off our daily stresses and stresses and stresses,
and it's a great mental health for a thing to do,
(05:39):
to immerse ourselves in nature and write a few ways
and have that community. So yeah, we've just got to
press on and overcome. There certainly will be some trepidation
and some weird thoughts.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
But Toby, your mate, your mate died a hero, and
he died doing the thing he loved, and let's remember
him for how we lived, not necessarily how he died.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
And thanks for joining us. I'm really sorry for your
lost Toby. Thank you for joining us, mate, Ye, thank you,
I heard podcasts, year more, kiss podcasts, playlists and listen
live on the Freeheart.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Robin and Kiv Now with Correo.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
It's the podcast Say.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Good Day.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
The northern beaches of Sydney remained closed this morning after
this tragic fatal shark attack over the weekend. I bloke
by the name of Mercury Silakis, fifty seven years old, husband, father,
daily surfer, hit by what seems to be a five meeting.
I meet a great white.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And this is where I believe those nets. I don't
believe they were.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I really don't like there's nets there and it was
it was on the news.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I have nets at Dhe Yeah, those nets don't really
go that d was that right? No, they aren't in
the surface. And for those that don't understand, like the
geography of d why it's like it's right next to Manley.
It's probably on a good day, it's a half hour
drive from the middle of Sydney. It's a real local beach.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
It's been a long time since there was a shark
attack there. But this guy, Mercury has died an absolute hero.
We've got one of his best mates who's going to
have a chat with us next and tell us exactly
what went down right.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
After justin Bieber's Robin and Kip now with Coreo. It's
on Kiss ninety seven three.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Toby, Hi, good morning, right, you lost your best friend.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Yeah, look, a surfing mate for forty years. We've grown
up together, surfing together, competing together, sharing great moments, great joys,
great sadness. But yeah, unfortunately a great mate, a great
part of our community here at dwy and Long Reef
(02:05):
has died doing what he absolutely loved to do. That's
the solo Swiss were taking out of things here this morning.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
So Mercury was a daily server. He loved getting out
there and every day. Yeah, and so what.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
They call a surf froffer.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, and so there were sightings of a great white
fairly recently, like within the last couple of days.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Look, the marine activity has been heightened the last couple
of months, so this hasn't been an anomaly that it's
just in the last couple of days. The last week,
we've had a lot of rainfall, which typically when there's
a lot of rainfall, all that water coming out into
the ocean creates a lot more activity. We've got some
(02:48):
warmer currents at the moment as well. So, yeah, some
unusual conditions and if you look at our rainfall over
that August periods same as it was since nine thirty
four when the last shark attack was So whether there's
any synergies in that ecological system or not, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I also read that he warned everyone, didn't.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
He surfers, We're kind of innately aware of our environment.
We're out there, the energy and reverberations. I've felt it
hundreds of times in the surfers every surfer or ocean
goer has. And he felt that reverberation and then saw
(03:27):
the shark, and his first instinct was to alert the
other surfers and his mates in the lineup and try
and corral them in as a group to represent a
larger object and get back to shore safely.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Right, So that was the plan. Every everyone stick together.
The shark might think we're too big, but he was
right at the back, is that right?
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, he was the last of the five. And then
in those moments from him corralling everyone else in the
boys turning around and seeing him disappear underwater, the splashing,
and then to bring the rest of mirth back to
shore was traumatic. I've spoken to a few of the
(04:10):
family this morning. As a board riding club down here
at day we've set up some counseling which will run
through not only the club but the people that are
involved and start the healing process and try and understand
this terrible accident.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You're obviously someone who loves surfing yourself, but how do
you cope with the fear of ever going back out
there again.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Well, look, it's our pleasure, it's our pain. You know,
the ocean can be lots of things. It's nice and
passive and calm today it can be fifteen to twenty
foot as we saw a month ago when Tommy Meyers
captured the world attention surfing two kilometers out there, just
down the road at Queenscliff and the boys out surfing
the Bomby and you know, so many other things that
(04:57):
your mind goes to where people are a lot more
subject to encounters with marine life, and to have it
so close to shore, it's just I guess some solace.
I mean, one of the boys said, you know, he's
taken the the one in one hundred million bullet for us,
Like your chances of this happening are just supremely rare,
(05:18):
and I just encourage everyone in the oceans and the
beach is not a dangerous place. We're going to get
back out there as soon as we can for ourselves,
for our community. The ocean is a greater elixir of life.
We washed off our daily stresses and stresses and stresses,
and it's a great mental health for a thing to do,
(05:39):
to immerse ourselves in nature and write a few ways
and have that community. So yeah, we've just got to
press on and overcome. There certainly will be some trepidation
and some weird thoughts.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
But Toby, your mate, your mate died a hero, and
he died doing the thing he loved, and let's remember
him for how we lived, not necessarily how he died.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
And thanks for joining us. I'm really sorry for your
lost Toby. Thank you for joining us, mate, Ye, thank you,
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