A man has died after a large shark attacked him as he was kitesurfing in the South Pacific, authorities have said.
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The crew on board the yacht escorting the man while he surfed reportedly saw the attack and dragged him out of the water.
He said the Australian was near the reef that encloses the lagoon and far from the shore when the attack took place.
He said the man, who is reportedly from Fremantle in Western Australia, “suffered a deep bite to the thigh from a big shark” but was unable to confirm what type of shark had been involved in the attack. “We don’t know for the moment what species it was”, Mr Renaud said.
New Caledonia’s Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre head Nicolas Renaud said: “The man in his 50s was kitesurfing inside the reef at Koumac”.
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.
“They tried to save him, to give him a heart massage, but it was too late”, Mr Renaud said.
He added that the lagoon is large enough for sharks to be common.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said consular assistance is being provided to the family of the man. The first two incidents happened in February and June, but the victims survived the attack.
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His friends were among several people to witness the attack.
