The parents of 12-year-old Nico Antic, who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour, have confirmed that he has died in hospital.
Nico was jumping into the water from a six-metre rock ledge at Nielsen Park, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, at about 4.20pm on Sunday when he was mauled by a suspected bull shark.
Both his legs were severely injured in the attack, and he survived only because one of his five friends jumped in and dragged him onto the rocks while the predator swam nearby.
But days later, his parents Lorena and Juan Antic shared a statement via The Children’s Hospital, Randwick, on Saturday confirming that he had died.
‘We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away,’ they wrote.
‘Nico was a happy, friendly, and sporty young boy with the most kind and generous spirit. He was always full of life and that’s how we’ll remember him.
‘We would like to sincerely thank the first responders and the teams at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, for everything they did to care for Nico. We would also like to thank everyone in the community for their support and kind messages.
‘We ask you please respect our privacy during this exceptionally difficult time.’
The family of 12-year-old Nico Antic (pictured), who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour, have confirmed he has died
Nico Antic (pictured with his dad) has been described as a ‘happy, friendly, and sporty boy’
The young friend who dragged him out of the water has previously described how Nico, who was due to turn 13 in February, fought for his life during the incident.
‘He kept fighting and breathing in my arms and he never gave up for a second,’ the friend told 7News on Friday.
‘He was the most stubborn person I know and I’m grateful I was there for his last moments awake.
‘There was a brief second where Nico woke up while he was bleeding and he just looked at me and then stopped and I thought I lost him, and I’m so surprised he fought for so long.’
Family friend Victor Pineiro set up a fundraiser on Tuesday to help the family cover expenses, which has collected more than $238,000.
‘Nico was attacked by a shark on Sunday in Sydney Harbour and sustained life-threatening injuries,’ he said, describing it as the ‘worst possible outcome’.
Friends on social media said earlier this week that Nico’s extended family live overseas and will have to travel to Australia to say their goodbyes.
‘Fly high Nico, you were such a nice kid and a gun at rugby,’ one friend wrote, 7News reports.
Pictured: A map of the shark attacks on the NSW coast between Sunday and Tuesday
The friend of Nico, who pulled him from the water, said he never stopped fighting
‘It hurts to see you go this early. No one deserves to lose their life this young.’
Another said: ‘I don’t know what I’ll do without you… Every time I was with you, you made everything feel more fun, no matter what it was.
‘Still can’t accept that you’re gone, it doesn’t feel real.’
The attack was the first in a spate of four shark encounters to hit Australia’s most populous state in three days.
On Monday, an 11-year-old boy had an encounter with another shark, which took a large bite out of his surfboard in Dee Why, near Manly in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
That same evening, Andre de Ruyter, 27, was attacked by a bull shark while surfing in Manly, in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
He was rushed to hospital with critical leg injuries but has since made a recovery.
On Tuesday, a 39‑year‑old was attacked at Point Plomer on the NSW Mid North Coast.
The shark bit through the man’s wetsuit and took a chunk out of his board. He reportedly drove himself to Kempsey District Hospital.
All NSW beaches are expected to be open for the Australia Day long weekend despite the spate of shark attacks which prompted days-long closures.
Manly beach was briefly closed on Saturday morning after a shark was spotted about 7am. It has since reopened.
NSW’s shark management program, given a $2.5 million boost in December, includes SMART drumlines and drone patrols at 50 beaches during school holidays.
Extra fresh water in the harbour after recent heavy rain, combined with the splashing effect from people jumping off a rock face, created a ‘perfect storm’ for Sunday’s shark attack, Superintendent Joseph McNulty said.
‘I would recommend not swimming in the harbour or our other river systems across NSW at this time,’ he told reporters before the Dee Why incident was reported.
Heavy swell has also prevented the operation of smart drumlines, which have notified authorities of shark activity along most of the NSW coast since Sunday.
More to come.
