Australian boy killed by shark in Sydney Harbour honoured at Bondi Beach

An Australian boy who died after being bitten by a shark in Sydney ‌Harbour was honoured in a surfing ceremony at Bondi Beach on Sunday, following a series ⁠of shark attacks along the country's east coast. On Sunday, a community "paddle-out" at Bondi Beach ⁠honoured Nico, ‌with aerial Australian ⁠Broadcasting Corp.

An Australian boy who died after being bitten by a shark in Sydney ‌Harbour was honoured in a surfing ceremony at Bondi Beach on Sunday, following a series ⁠of shark attacks along the country's east coast. Nico Antic, 12, died in hospital on January 24, six days after being attacked when he ​and his friends jumped off rocks in Vaucluse, around 9 ‍km (5.5 miles) from Sydney's central business district. Friends pulled him from the water with severe injuries to both legs. On Sunday, a community "paddle-out" at Bondi Beach ⁠honoured Nico, ‌with aerial Australian ⁠Broadcasting Corp. footage showing paddle boarders and surfers forming a large circle ‍in the ocean.

Local surf lifesavers, as well as school friends and relatives, took ​part, local media reported. Dozens of beaches, including in Sydney, ⁠were closed in January after four shark attacks in two days, as heavy rains ⁠left water murky and more likely to attract sharks. In September, a surfer was killed by a large shark at Sydney's ⁠Long Reef Beach.

Australia averages 20 shark attacks a year, fewer than ⁠three of them ‌fatal, according to data from conservation groups. Those numbers are dwarfed by drownings on the country's ⁠beaches.

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