Mercury Psillakis’ twin Mike paid tribute to his brother in an emotional post on social media, honouring his “right hand man”.
Mike posted the tribute on Instagram wherein he stated clearly “this is the hardest moment of my life”.
“He was my Ying, I was his Yang. He was my mirror, my blood, my DNA. We were telepathic. We share the same soul,” the post reads.
“Mercury was my life, my right hand man.”
The twin expressed the closeness of their bond never weakened from the moment they were born, remarking “we had our own language and shared the same dreams, literally”.
Mike stated that his brother encouraged all “to live life with pure passion”.
“Express ALL emotions, whether they are happy, sad, angry or mad. Tell your loved ones that you love them. Hold them tight. Get rid of the filter that hides who you really are,” he wrote.
“He was passionate about being REAL!”
He noted Mercury’s passion for exotic palms and emphasised the deep love he had for his wife Maria and daughter Freedom.
His post concluded by thanking everyone for their messages of support before saying:
“I love you bro. You are forever with me, through me.”
Shark believed to be Great White
The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) released a statement on Monday wherein they revealed their belief the shark that killed Mercury was a Great White.
“NSW government shark biologists have assessed photographs of the victim’s surfboard and determined a white shark approximately 3.4-3.6 metres in length was likely responsible,” the statement said.
“Based on information from emergency services, it is understood the incident occurred approximately 300 metres north of the Surf Life Saving club.”
Fellow surfers on the day stated Mercury spotted the shark and began warning those around him.
The DPIRD revealed new measures that are being taken in response to the attack.
“An extra two SMART drumlines have been deployed by the DPIRD contractor between Dee Why and Long Reef on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, in addition to the three SMART drumlines deployed daily off Dee Why year-round,” the DPIRD statement said.
“Surf Life Saving NSW have also deployed drones in the area again today, plus helicopter surveillance.”
The Northern Beaches Council also announced the closure of Manly Beach and Freshwater Beach on Monday morning, saying the NSW Government Shark Smart app had reported a sighting of a “tagged shark in the vicinity” of the beaches.
They join Dee Why and Long Reef to make it four beach closures in total, while a planned trial to take down shark nets from Sydney beaches was paused yesterday.
