The family of late surfer Mercury 'Merc' Psillakis have paid tribute to the 'extraordinary' bond he had with his teenage daughter Freedom.

Mercury 'Merc' Psillakis , 57, was bitten in half by a five-metre shark at Dee Why, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, just after 10am on Saturday.

The family of late surfer Mercury 'Merc' Psillakis have paid tribute to the 'extraordinary' bond he had with his teenage daughter Freedom.