KOUMAC, NEW CALEDONIA — A West Australian man on holiday in New Caledonia had both his trip and his life cut short after he was attacked by a shark.
AFP reports that the 50-year-old was kite surfing in a reef near Koumac, just off the main island, while his friends remained on a catamaran nearby.
At one point, the man fell into the water and was promptly chomped on by a shark, leaving a vicious bite wound in his right thigh.
After the alarm was raised, the man’s friends performed first aid on him while waiting for the rescue boat to arrive. He went into cardiac arrest and was declared dead an hour later.
Witnesses weren’t able to identify the type of shark that attacked the man, and only described it as being “large,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The incident is the second fatal shark attack on New Caledonia this year, after a woman was killed in April. Two other kitesurfers were attacked in February and June, but neither of their injuries were fatal.
