Mercury Psillakis, who was killed by a shark at Sydney’s Northern Beaches on Saturday, has been described as an “avid surfer, loving father, loving husband, great son and great person”.
A close friend said the 57-year-old steered other surfers in the water to safety before he was fatally attacked.
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Why America Got Rid of All Its Diving Boards | Business Explains The World
Every pool used to have a diving board. Now they’ve practically disappeared. In this episode, Nora Ali sets out to find out why, from standing on the edge of the tallest dive tower in the Western Hemisphere to digging into the forgotten history of backyard pools and the hidden forces that reshaped American summer fun. This isn’t just a story about diving boards, but about how something beloved can vanish almost overnight, not because people stopped wanting it, but because bigger forces decided the risks weren’t worth it. So why did diving boards disappear, and what does that reveal about the invisible ways our lives are shaped? Nora dives in to find out.
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Man Killed in Shark Attack in Australia After Screams of ‘Don’t Bite Me’ Heard | Sky News
A man has been killed in a shark attack at a beach in Sydney.
Emergency services responded to reports that a man in his 50s had suffered critical injuries at Long Reef Beach, shortly after 10am (1am UK) on Saturday.
The victim – named by Australian media as Mercury Psillakis – was married and had a young daughter, police said – with the incident happening a day before Father’s Day in Australia.
Read Sky News
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USA Swimming Just Hired a CEO That Doesn’t Know Swimming | Kyle Sockwell
Kevin M. Ring, former President of Golf at Legends, has been named the new President and CEO of USA Swimming, as well as CEO of the USA Swimming Foundation. With a strong background in revenue growth, fan engagement, and strategic partnerships (first at the PGA of America and then at Legends), Ring is stepping into this role at a pivotal moment as USA Swimming looks ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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Grad Student on Swim Date With Girlfriend Almost Drowns at NTU Pool｜Taiwan News
A graduate student almost drowned at National Taiwan University during a swim date with his girlfriend. According to witnesses, he suddenly fainted during a brief stop in the middle of the pool. He was administered CPR on the spot and taken to hospital, but has yet to regain consciousness.
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New Law Would Ban Pools at Residential Day Cares After Toddler’s Death in the Bronx | ABC7NY
A new law was introduced in honor of 20-month-old River Wilson, who drowned in a pool at a residential day care in the Bronx.
Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres says several failures led to River’s death last month.
They included a lack of adult supervision, inadequate safety inspections, no fencing around the pool, and no alarms on the doors or in the pool.
Torres said that “River’s Law” would ban swimming pools at residential day care facilities.
“It would require residential day care centers to be equipped with alarms,” Torres said. “There is no greater act of negligence than the neglect of an infant or toddler who is left within falling distance of a swimming pool.”
See abc7ny.com
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Man Drowns While Swimming at Unguarded Beach at the Jersey Shore | NBC10 Philadelphia
A 39-year-old man drowned after getting caught in a rip current at the New York Avenue beach in Lavallette, New Jersey, on Tuesday, police said. NBC10’s Ted Greenberg has the story.
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‘I Can Swim Again’: Para Swimmer Nicolas-Guy Turbide Shares More About Mercury Poisoning Diagnosis | CBC Sports
Since 2022, Para swimmer Nicolas-Guy Turbide hadn’t been feeling like himself, but specialist after specialist couldn’t give him any answers. Finally in April he got some; mercury poisoning due to how his body was metabolizing his fish consumption. Armed with answers and a sense of relief he’ll be competing at Para swimming worlds coming up in just a few weeks.
See CBC Sports
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The Science Behind a Freediver’s 29-Minute Breath Hold World Record | The Conversation
Most of us can hold our breath for between 30 and 90 seconds.
A few minutes without oxygen can be fatal, so we have an involuntary reflex to breathe.
But freediver Vitomir Maričić recently held his breath for a new world record of 29 minutes and three seconds, lying on the bottom of a 3-metre-deep pool in Croatia.
This is about five minutes longer than the previous world record set in 2021 by another Croatian freediver, Budimir Šobat.
Interestingly, all world records for breath holds are by freedivers, who are essentially professional breath-holders.
They do extensive physical and mental training to hold their breath under water for long periods of time.So how do freedivers delay a basic human survival response and how was Maričić able to hold his breath about 60 times longer than most people?
Read The Conversation