A French honeymooner has been attacked and killed by a shark while surfing not far from the beach on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, authorities say.
The 36-year-old was in the sea off the popular beach of Brisants de Saint-Gilles when a shark charged at him twice, prompting a nearby swimmer to raise the alert when he saw blood on the water, the local prefecture said.
Lifeguards jumped in the water to fetch the victim, who had lost a lot of blood and was in cardiac and respiratory arrest. They brought him back to the beach but were unable to revive him.
A shark bit a 60-year-old surfer off Kauai’s west shore Wednesday, raising the attack total for Hawaii to 11 this year, an exceptionally active period for the ocean predators.
The strike on the Kalaheo man also was the second in six days in Hawaii.
The 11 attacks so far this year equal the total of the four previous years combined, according to figures from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources.
A 25-year-old surfer is expected to recover after being bitten by a shark in Humboldt County, authorities said.
The surfer was bitten shortly before noon Tuesday while surfing the North Jetty near Eureka Municipal Airport, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department said.
The surfer suffered a 14-inch wound and other injuries. He was loaded into a pickup truck by other surfers and taken to a hospital, authorities said.
“The victim had an approximate 14 inch bite wound and other wounds on his body that required surgery,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
A 39-year-old experienced surfer died Tuesday after a shark attack at an Air Force base beach in California, following months of frequent shark sightings along the coast.
Francisco Javier Solorio Jr., of Orcutt, was bitten in his upper torso while he was surfing with a friend who witnessed the attack.
They were in the ocean off the coastal Vandenberg Air Force Base, on Surf Beach in Lompoc, the Santa Barbara County sheriff’s department said in a statement.
A man has been attacked by a shark off Western Australia’s Gascoyne coast on Tuesday afternoon The attack occurred while he was surfing at Red Bluff near Quobba Station, 70 kilometres north of Carnarvon. The break is about 1,000 kilometres north of Perth.
The 34-year-old man received serious injuries but was conscious when he was brought ashore. The Department of Fisheries says the shark bit the surfer on the abdomen and as he tried to fend it off he was then mauled on the arm.
Rebecca Caldwell’s children were in the water when they noticed the man was injured, but she says they did not see the shark.
“The water was full of blood,” she said.
“He was conscious the whole way back though he was OK, he was good.
“He’s in good spirits, as well as he could be.”
Carnarvon Shire chief executive Maurice Battilana says the beach has since been closed. He has told the ABC it is in a remote area that is very popular with tourists.
“Extremely popular surfing and camping spot and we’re probably in the peak season, very popular surfing spot,” he said.
Police and the St John Ambulance were sent to the location and the man has been taken to Carnarvon Hospital. The Royal Flying Doctor Service is flying its crew from Meekatharra to Carnarvon and they will then fly the man to Perth for treatment. The RFDS says the man has serious injuries to his right arm and is in a stable condition.
There have been five fatal shark attacks in less than a year off WA’s coast.
A man has been attacked by a shark off Western Australia’s Gascoyne region, but is conscious as emergency services race to the remote location.
Police reported late on Tuesday that a person had been attacked by a shark about 200km south of Carnarvon, near Quobba Station.
The victim – believed to be a male surfer – suffered leg and abdominal injuries, but had been retrieved from the water and was conscious.
Emergency services are expected to take some time to attend the scene because it is a remote location.
“Initial reports suggest that the person is being conveyed by private car for assistance,” police said.
The Department of Fisheries was being sought for more information.
The attack comes six weeks after 24-year-old surfer Ben Linden was killed by a five metre great white shark some 160km north of Perth – the fifth fatal shark attack in WA waters in 10 months.
Xavier Brunetiere, general secretary at the Reunion town hall, said the surfer’s right foot and his hand were seriously injured, in the attack at Saint Leu, located in a marine reserve on the western side of the island.
The man, whose identity was not released, is aged about 40 and is an experienced surfer, Brunetiere said.
Witnesses said the shark had severed a hand and a foot from the victim, but he made it back to the beach by himself. His life was not in danger, Brunetiere said.
Shark attacks here have been increasing in the last two years, with three surfers killed in the last 13 months.
Sunday’s attack, the third this year, comes just over a fortnight after 22-year-old local Alexandre Rassica was killed by a shark who bit off his leg.
