Hundreds of heartbroken family and friends gathered at North Bondi on Sunday morning to honour 12-year-old Nico Antic, the beloved nipper who died after a shark attack.
Rose Bay Secondary College led the moving paddle-out, describing Nico as a ‘happy, vibrant, and social young person’.
Nico was attacked on Sunday, January 19, after leaping from rocks near Shark Beach at Nielson Park in Vaucluse.
Authorities believe a bull shark caused catastrophic injuries to both his legs.
After the paddle-out, Nico’s father, Juan Pablo, spoke of his son as ‘my Nico’, saying he would always be remembered.
Easts Junior Beasties rugby club president Graham Jackson called the morning ‘pretty emotional’.
‘When Nico’s dad was out speaking, there was an awful lot of love and respect around the place for that family and you could really feel that out there,’ Mr Jackson said.
‘It’s touched the whole community.’
Nico’s friends, nippers, rugby teammates and fellow students, waded into the surf as his parents, Juan Pablo and Lorena, stood arm-in-arm at the shoreline.
In the water, swimmers and paddlers formed a broad circle around the Antic family before the crowd erupted in applause, pounding their boards in a powerful, rhythmic tribute.
Back on the sand, friends and family wrapped Nico’s parents in a long, emotional hug as they chanted his name.
Mr Jackson said the outpouring captured Nico’s spirit. ‘Determined, courageous and deeply tied to the surf lifesaving community,’ Mr Jackson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘He was a brave kid and a dedicated nipper at the North Bondi Surf Club.
‘Here at Bondi it’s what we do to pay respect. Unfortunately we had to do that before Christmas here and the beach is our place of joy and fun, it’s really important that we claim that back. This was all about the family and paying respect to Nico.’
Nico died in hospital last Saturday, a week after the attack in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
His death comes as Sydney and NSW report a surge in shark incidents, with experts warning heavy rain may have driven bull sharks closer to the coast.
At Manly’s North Steyne Beach, 27-year-old Andre de Ruyter suffered such severe injuries in a shark attack that doctors were forced to amputate his lower leg.
Meanwhile, an 11-year-old surfer at Dee Why was knocked from his board by a shark, but escaped unharmed.
The string of four attacks in just 48 hours has drawn international attention and reignited calls for a shark cull in New South Wales.
The unprecedented spate across Sydney’s beaches and harbour has put mounting pressure on the state government to act.
But NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty has ruled out a cull, saying authorities are focused on modern shark monitoring and prevention, not lethal action.
‘We do have a comprehensive shark management program across New South Wales. We’ve got smart drumlines, a tagging and tracking operation. We’ve got more drones on our beaches than we’ve ever had before this summer,’ she said.
CRE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15516571/nico-antic-paddle-bondi-beach.html