The heartbroken parents of a shark attack victim have remembered him as a boy who “loved life” as friends and supporters took part in a mass paddle-out to mourn the young surfer.
Holding boards and surrounding the family of 12-year-old Nico Antic, more than 100 people joined the early morning memorial at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday.
Locals lined the sand at the famous beach for the event, held more than a week after the keen rugby player died from injuries sustained in the mauling.
Nico, a nipper at North Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club, was critically injured while swimming with friends near a popular beach at Vaucluse, in Sydney’s east, earlier in January.
Dressed in a yellow and red surf lifesaving uniform, his father Juan addressed the crowd on the shores of North Bondi with Nico’s mother, Lorena.
“We love this kid so much, our Nico. I’m going to miss him forever,” Mr Antic said while wiping away tears.
“He loved his mates, he loved life. I’m sure he’s watching all of us so thanks to all of you for being part of this for Nico.”
The 12-year-old was one of four people attacked by sharks off NSW beaches in two days in January.
His death marked the first fatal shark attack inside Sydney Harbour in more than 60 years.
Surfer Mercury Psillakis, 57, was fatally bitten by a shark at Sydney’s Long Reef beach in September.
Pablo Bardon, who has known the Argentine-Australian Antic family for two decades, said it had been a very tough period for the tight-knit community in which ties were forged through people’s connection to the water and surfing.
“When you have kids, it’s really hard. It’s been an emotional process,” the father-of-three told AAP.
Bondi Beach had dramatically changed since the nearby shark attack and the terrorist attack of December 14 that left 15 victims dead.
“When driving down, it didn’t feel great. It’s not the same place,” Mr Bardon said.
The paddle-out was organised by Nico’s school, Rose Bay Secondary College, which remembered him as “deeply loved by a large network of friends”.
“He brought warmth, energy and kindness to those around him and will be remembered for the joy he shared so freely,” the school said previously.
For Gus De Notto, it was a tough moment paddling out on his surfboard.
“I feel like a really heavy atmosphere and of course, it was nice to see people but unfortunately, that won’t bring back Nico’s life,” he said.
“He was a super-happy child.”
After the spate of incidents, an extra $4.2 million was added to NSW beach safety programs, including shark tagging and monitoring and the installation of listening stations in the harbour.
Drone patrols will be extended to seven days a week through to the end of the April school holidays, covering 30 more beaches in Sydney and along the NSW coast.
Australia’s largest ocean swim, the Cole Classic, was due to take place across the harbour in Manly on Sunday, but the event was postponed until February 22 to “keep participants safe”.
“Conditions are trending positively and allowing additional time will further support a safe and enjoyable swim,” organisers said.