Friends are still reeling from Nico Antic’s sudden pᴀssing, revealing that as he was pulled to shore, he endured the pain to whisper just three haunting words…

Just hours later, an 11-year-old boy narrowly escaped injury when a shark ripped a large chunk from his surfboard at Dee Why Point.

That same evening, 27-year-old surfer and musician Andre de Ruyter was dragged underwater during a shark attack at North Steyne Beach in Manly at around 6pm.

He was pulled unconscious from the water by fellow surfers and rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition with life-changing leg injuries.

Less than 24 hours later, 39-year-old surfer Paul Zvirzdinas was knocked from his board and bitten by an “animal” at Point Plomer near Port Macquarie.

He managed to drive himself to Kempsey District Hospital and was later discharged.

The spate of attacks triggered beach closures across Sydney’s northern beaches.

Four shark attacks occurred in two days along the New South Wales coast