A father of four has been hailed for his bravery after chilling details emerged about his final moments during a fatal shark attack that shocked beachgoers on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
Barak Tzach, 40, was heading home from work when he made a brief stop at Olga Beach in Hadera, an area known for its warm waters and occasional shark sightings.
Equipped with a snorkel, fins, a diving mask, and a GoPro camera, he entered the sea intending to film the sharks from a distance, unaware of the life threatening encounter awaiting him.
Witnesses say the water was calm that Monday afternoon as families and children paddled in the shallow waves. Sharks had been spotted earlier, swimming inches away from beachgoers’ legs, something that has become a rare yet mesmerizing sight in the area. But within minutes, tranquility turned to terror.
“He swam alongside the shark and then moved a little further out,” said a fisherman who watched the events unfold. “He wasn’t feeding or provoking them. He simply wanted to capture footage.”
Barak’s wife, Sarit Tzach, later confirmed in a heartbreaking Facebook post that her husband had no bait or fish with him, dismissing rumors that he lured the predators. Instead, she insisted,
“He loved nature and the sea. He wanted to document, not disturb.”
But tragedy struck just moments after the fisherman called him back toward shore. As Barak began to swim back, a shark lunged. Horrifying footage shows him thrashing in the water, desperately trying to fend off the attack.
“He used the stick of the GoPro camera to gently push them away,”
Sarit said, adding that it was his last attempt to escape. Eyewitnesses recall hearing his screams pierce the air.
“I’m bitten I’m bitten” he yelled before being dragged under the surface.
His remains were discovered the following evening after an intense two day search involving Israeli police, air and naval forces. Forensic tests at the Abu Kabir Institute in Tel Aviv later confirmed the identity.
Deputy Fire Chief Doron Almashali noted the discovery was based on “careful analysis of underwater currents.” He added, “We sincerely hope we’ve brought some closure to the family.”
Authorities say the incident marks only the fourth recorded shark attack in Israeli history. The region near Olga Beach often attracts sandbar and dusky sharks, drawn in by warm water and schools of fish pushed toward the shore via a nearby stream.
Despite warning signs and a known swimming ban in that specific area, tourists and locals have continued to enter the water to get close to the predators. Some even go as far as attempting to touch or interact with the sharks, behaviour condemned by marine experts.
“Approaching sharks is not only reckless it’s dangerous,”
said a spokesperson from the Israeli Shark Association, calling the behaviour of some beachgoers “unreasonable.”
In the aftermath, Barak’s family has pleaded for respect and compassion, urging the public to “refrain from spreading false information” about his de*th.
They remember him as a passionate lover of the sea and a devoted father who lost his life trying to share the beauty of marine wildlife.
“Barak wasn’t just a victim,” Sarit wrote. “He was a man with a camera, a heart full of love for nature, and four children waiting for him at home.
Featured Image Credit: (X)(Barak Tzach)
