Shark in New Caledonia attacks & kills Australian kitesurfer

Another shark attack was recorded in a French territory east of Australia on Tuesday. The incident occurred off New Caledonia’s main island, the second fatal shark attack in six months in the South Pacific territory.

The victim was a 50-year-old male kitesurfer from Fremantle, Western Australia, who fell into the water inside Koumac’s reef at 3:40 pm. The shark bit the man on the thigh, says Nicolas Renaud, head of New Caledonia’s Marine Rescue Coordination Centre, reports ABC.

A nearby catamaran, Discovery, raised the alarm and provided first aid, but the victim, who went into cardiac arrest and was given first aid by his friends before rescuers came, was declared dead over an hour later, reports Sydney Morning Herald. Renaud says the man suffered a deep bite to the thigh from the shark which the centre does not know yet what species.

A rescue boat brought back the victim to the port of Koumac where an ambulance was waiting. A doctor declared the man dead at 5 pm. A local newspaper reports the victim was visiting the island on a 10-day catamaran expedition holiday.

It is the third shark attack on kitesurfers in New Caledonia in 2016. The first two incidents happened in February and June, but the victims survived the attack. It is the second fatal shark attack in 2016 in New Caledonia. The first victim was a woman who was attacked by a shark in April on a beach in Poe.

Researchers at the University of Florida who had been tracking shark attacks since 1958 say there were 98 shark attacks globally n 2015, the highest number record. Six of the victims died.

VIDEO: Sharks: Scavengers of the Seas – documentary BBC

Source: Imineo Documentaires