The unsteady fully nonlinear free-surface flow due to an impulsively started submerged point sink is studied in the context of incompressible potential flow. For a fixed (initial) submergence h of the point sink in otherwise unbounded fluid, the problem is governed by a single non-dimensional physical parameter, the Froude number, [Fscr ]≡Q/4π(gh5)1/2, where Q is the (constant) volume flux rate and g the gravitational acceleration. We assume axisymmetry and perform a numerical study using a mixed-Eulerian–Lagrangian boundary-integral-equation scheme. We conduct systematic simulations varying the parameter [Fscr ] to obtain a complete quantification of the solution of the problem. Depending on [Fscr ], there are three distinct flow regimes: (i) [Fscr ]<[Fscr ]1≈0.1924 – a ‘sub-critical’ regime marked by a damped wave-like behaviour of the free surface which reaches an asymptotic steady state; (ii) [Fscr ]1<[Fscr ]<[Fscr ]2≈0.1930 – the ‘trans-critical’ regime characterized by a reversal of the downward motion of the free surface above the sink, eventually developing into a sharp upward jet; (iii) [Fscr ]>[Fscr ]2 – a ‘super-critical’ regime marked by the cusp-like collapse of the free surface towards the sink. Mechanisms behind such flow behaviour are discussed and hydrodynamic quantities such as pressure, power and force are obtained in each case. This investigation resolves the question of validity of a steady-state assumption for this problem and also shows that a small-time expansion may be inadequate for predicting the eventual behaviour of the flow.