Shark Data LabFatal Bull Shark Attack on 12-Year-Old at Nielsen Park, Sydney Harbour (January 2026)
Synthesised by sharkdatalab from 2 sources
On 18 January 2026, a 12-year-old male, Nico Antic, was attacked by a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) while jumping from rocks into the water at Nielsen Park, Vaucluse, in Sydney Harbour, Australia. The attack occurred near Shark Beach within the park. The victim sustained severe injuries to both legs and was transported to hospital in a critical condition.
Antic died in hospital approximately one week after the attack, on or around 24 January 2026, from the injuries sustained in the incident. Both sources identifying the species were consistent in attributing the attack to a bull shark.
Nielsen Park is a publicly accessible foreshore reserve located within Sydney Harbour National Park in the Vaucluse area of Sydney's eastern suburbs. Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are a euryhaline species known to inhabit estuarine and harbour environments, including Sydney Harbour, and are considered among the species most commonly implicated in attacks on humans in Australian waters.
See this incident in the database: Nielsen Park Vaucluse Sydney Harbour, Australia
Sources
- ·Nico Antic, 12, dies in hospital after being attacked by a shark in Sydney— The Guardian — Sharks(January 24, 2026)
- ·Family of 12-year-old Sydney Harbour shark attack victim prepare for ‘worst possible outcome’— The Guardian — Sharks(January 21, 2026)