A 12-year-old boy attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour remains alive in hospital but is brain-dead and will never wake up.

Nico Antic was jumping into the water from a six-metre rock ledge at Nielsen Park, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, at about 4.20pm on Sunday when he was mauled by a suspected bull shark.

Both his legs were severely injured in the attack, and he survived only because one of his five friends jumped in and dragged him onto the rocks while the predator swam nearby.

The attack was the first in a spate of four shark encounters to hit Australia’s most populous state in three days.

In separate incidents, a surfer suffered minor injuries at Point Plomer on Tuesday, another was left critically injured at Manly’s North Steyne Beach a day earlier, and an 11-year-old boy was knocked from his board at Dee Why Beach but escaped unharmed.

Despite reports on Wednesday claiming Nico died, a close family member has now confirmed to the Daily Mail that he is still alive in hospital.

Police have also confirmed Nico’s condition at Sydney Children’s Hospital remains unchanged.

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Nico Antic (pictured) was a talented soccer player who represented his club in international tournaments

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Nico Antic (pictured with his dad) is alive in hospital, but he will never wake up again

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Pictured: Emergency workers in Vaucluse on Sunday, when Nico was bitten by a shark

‘He is still asleep, but will not be able to make it because his brain is completely unresponsive,’ the relative said. They said Nico was a talented sports player who was always making people smile.

‘He is a sporty kid and never fails to put a smile on people’s faces,’ they recalled.

‘He is loved by many friends and family.’

Family friend Victor Pineiro set up a fundraiser on Tuesday to help the family cover expenses.

‘Nico was attacked by a shark on Sunday in Sydney Harbour and sustained life-threatening injuries,’ he said, describing it as the ‘worst possible outcome’.

Friends on social media said Nico’s extended family live overseas and will have to travel to Australia to say their goodbyes.

Goal Soccer Academy in Rose Bay wrote on social media that Nico had been playing with them for seven years.

‘Nico has been part of the Goal family for seven years, a talented and dedicated sportsman,’ the soccer club said.

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Nico Antic is a talented athlete who has represented his soccer club internationally

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Nico Antic (pictured on his first day of school) is in a critical condition in hospital

The academy also said Nico represented the club in tournaments, including the Sydney International Cup.

Another family friend, Trish, shared a link to the fundraiser on Facebook with the caption: ‘My heart hurts.’

A third family friend said: ‘Please donate. This is a family I know and they are going through an unimaginably hard time.’

On Monday, an 11-year-old boy had an encounter with another shark, which took a large bite out of his surfboard in Dee Why, near Manly in Sydney’s northern suburbs.

Fortunately he was not injured.

That same evening, Andre de Ruyter, 27, was attacked by a bull shark while surfing in Manly, in Sydney’s northern suburbs.

Footage showed beachgoers dragging him from the water and administering first aid before he was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition, requiring massive blood transfusions.

‘They said it was almost like a Formula One pit stop of 10 seconds or less where they just opened the door, blood went in and then they continued on,’ NSW Ambulance acting superintendent Christie Marks said, as reported by AAP.

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Andre de Ruyter (pictured) was left in a critical condition after suffering severe leg injuries following a shark attack at Manly Beach

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Footage showed beachgoers dragging him from the water and administering first aid before he was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition

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A 15cm bite mark on the board of the surfer involved in the Manly attack suggests he was most likely attacked by a bull shark, according to shark biologists from the primary industries department

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De Ruyter received 13 units of blood and underwent emergency surgery at hospital. Pictured: Beachgoers administering first aid after the attack

But, on Wednesday, his family confirmed that he had made a dramatic recovery.

‘We would like to express our gratitude to all the brave first responders to our son Andre relating to the shark attack at Manly Beach [Monday],’ his mother said in a statement shared with Manly Observer.

‘Andre de Ruyter, our compassionate, talented musician, graphic artist and lover of surfing has been placed in a stable condition with wonderful attentive medical staff.

‘We ask for positive energy around his recovery and will give more information when he is ready.

‘We ask for mindful care and respect of our son’s privacy till the path forward is clearer. Thank you so much. Kindly, Lisa, Olaf and Alysha, his direct family.’

A 15cm bite mark on the young surfer’s board suggests he was most likely attacked by a bull shark, according to shark biologists from the primary industries department, who said peak season for bull sharks in the Sydney area is January and February.

Northern Beaches Council lifeguards sounded the alarm immediately after the attack, then erected shark warning signs and dispatched a jet ski to patrol the water.

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A surfer had minor injuries from being bitten by a shark Tuesday in the fourth attack off the coast of Australia’s most populous state in three days. It’s understood the shark bit through the man’s wetsuit and took a chunk out of his board

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The shark attacked the man’s surfboard at Point Plomer, 460 kilometers (290 miles) north of the New South Wales state capital, around 9am, officials said

Surf Life Saving NSW also launched a drone to assist with locating the shark but there have been no further sightings.

‘All beaches on the Northern Beaches are closed until further notice, and this will be reviewed on an ongoing basis,’ NSW Police said in a statement.

On Tuesday, a 39‑year‑old was attacked at Point Plomer on the NSW Mid North Coast.

The shark bit through the man’s wetsuit and took a chunk out of his board. He reportedly drove himself to Kempsey District Hospital.

‘The board seemed to take most of the impact,’ Kempsey-Crescent Head Surf Life Saving Club captain Matt Worrall told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Beaches across Sydney’s north will remain closed tomorrow in the wake of the attacks.

‘Due to ongoing water clarity issues, all beaches in the Northern Beaches area will remain closed for at least an additional 24 hours, being the full day Thursday, and we will continue to review conditions on an ongoing basis,’ the council said in a statement this afternoon.

Police on Monday urged people not to swim in murky, low-visibility water after bucketing rain drenched Sydney and its surroundings at the weekend.

Extra fresh water in the harbour after recent heavy rain, combined with the splashing effect from people jumping off a rock face, created a ‘perfect storm’ for Sunday’s shark attack, Superintendent Joseph McNulty said.

‘I would recommend not swimming in the harbour or our other river systems across NSW at this time,’ he told reporters before the Dee Why incident was reported.

Heavy swell has also prevented the operation of smart drumlines, which notify authorities of shark activity along most of the NSW coast since Sunday.