Widow of Dee Why shark victim calls for urgent safety overhaul after latest death
Two shark attacks within months have united grieving families in an unthinkable bond, as one widow demands better safety measures to prevent future tragedies.
The grieving widow of Dee Why shark attack victim Mercury Psillakis has reached out to the family and partner of this week’s bull shark attack to share the “shock, the terror and the silence” of their grief.
Maria Psillakis wanted the family of Swiss accountant Livia Muhlheim to know they “are not alone in this nightmare” after the 25-year-old was fatally mauled by a three metre bull shark on the state’s mid-north coast on Thursday morning.
“My heart is breaking for your family. I am so deeply, deeply sorry. Losing someone in this way … it shatters you. It takes the breath out of your body and leaves you standing in a world that suddenly feels unfamiliar,” she wrote in a message to the family.
“The shock, the terror, and the silence that follows something so sudden and cruel. I wish with everything in me that neither of us knew this kind of loss.
“Please know that you are not alone in this nightmare. Your loved one mattered. Their life was precious. And they will be remembered,” she said.
Ms Muhlheim had been swimming with dolphins at the remote Kylies Beach at Crowdy Bay when the shark struck.
Her Swiss boyfriend Lukas Schindler was bitten himself as he fought the shark off and dragged her to shore where she died. He remains in a stable condition in hospital.
Surfer Mr Psillakis, 57, was killed by a white pointer at Dee Why Beach in September after spotting the shark in the surf and herding his mates together for safety. His wife said his actions in the water that day would live on.
“Merc would want his legacy to reflect the way he dedicated himself to keeping people safe in the water,” Ms Psillakis said.
“What happened to Merc should teach us how to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again. If we can learn from this, if we can improve safety because of him, and implement something that protects others the way he always tried to, then something meaningful can come from this terrible darkness we are feeling.
“His passing will carry a purpose that helps people,” she said.
Ms Psillakis acknowledged that shark risk mitigation is “a complex issue” where the environment, animals and humans all need to be considered.
“We cannot eliminate the risks but we can minimise the risks. There is always room for improvement,” Ms Psillakis said.
The NSW Government is currently spending $21.5 million on the Shark Mitigation Program this summer including 305 SMART drumlines across 19 local government areas and nets at up to 50 beaches.
However Ms Psillakis said: “Safety needs to be considered 365 days per year and not just summer.
“Questions need to be asked and more effective systems and strategies that are evidence based need to be implemented. We are not experts but we need the experts, scientists, Surfing NSW, Surf Lifesaving NSW and the government to get together and collaborate,” she said.
Her local independent MP Michael Regan is backing a combined plan by Surf Lifesaving NSW and Surfing NSW to fund the rollout of drones, including remotely operated ‘drones in a box’, to provide “eyes in the sky” to protect swimmers and surfers in NSW waters.
Ms Psillakis endorsed the plan and added: “Sydney beaches need to have access to resources such as surveillance drones and automated shark alarms.”
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Originally published as Widow of Dee Why shark victim calls for urgent safety overhaul after latest death
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