Shark Chat Ep. 4: Mike Psillakis on Losing His Twin Brother, and Building the NSW Drone Program

In this episode of the Everything Ocean Podcast (Shark Chat series), I sit down with Mike Psillakis, a Northern Beaches surfboard shaper and twin brother of Mercury, who was killed by a white shark at Dee Why, the first fatal shark attack on Sydney's northern beaches in around 80 years. I was working at Dee Why Beach that day. This conversation means a lot to me. We talk about growing up together on the Northern Beaches, the unexplained connection twins share, the day everything changed, and how Mike and his family turned grief into action, becoming a driving force behind the NSW drone shark-spotting program with Surfing NSW and the state government. We also get into the bigger picture: why shark activity along the coast has shifted, bull sharks vs great whites, what's actually working to keep people safer, and Mike's take on where shark mitigation should go next. Content note: this episode discusses a fatal shark attack and grief. Links Psillakis Surfboards Socials:   / psillakissurfboards   Website: https://www.psillakissurfboards.com.au/ Go Fund Me to Support Mercurys Wife Maria and Daughter Freedom: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mercury-ps... Boardsox: ocean-first apparel and boardsox. https://boardsox.com.au/ Surf coaching: Dee Why Salty Surf School / Salty Safaris. https://www.deewhysaltysurfschool.com... https://www.saltysafaris.com.au/ Timestamps below. 0:00 — Intro (Dan's personal connection to this episode) 1:07 — Growing up on the Northern Beaches, joining the board riders club 3:49 — Learning to surf at 10, inspired by Storm Riders 6:12 — Twin rivalry stories 7:50 — Unexplained "twin telepathy" — shared dreams, simultaneous texts 15:24 — The day Mercury was attacked 18:06 — "That was the last time I saw him" 20:06 — First fatal shark attack on the Northern Beaches in ~80 years 21:20 — Then three or four attacks in 48 hours 23:12 — The "switch": warmer water, nutrients, bait balls 28:50 — Mike's theory: super-trawlers pushing predators toward shore 36:13 — Turning grief into the NSW drone program 39:03 — A life the drone already saved 44:56 — Bull sharks vs. great whites: what actually raises the risk 52:24 — If Mike had unlimited funding: orca-sound deterrents, Reunion Island's drum-line results 57:20 — Why bull sharks are on us to manage 58:07 — Mike's closing message