Man brutally killed in front of wife by killer shark at tourist diving paradise
A MAN was brutally killed in front of his wife by a 3.5-metre bull shark while snorkelling just metres from a boat in a tourist hotspot.
A ferocious bull shark
Yves Berthelot, 50, was swimming near the catamaran in the Pacific Ocean, just off the island of Kouare, New Caledonia, when the man-eater struck.
He was reportedly just "a few dozen metres" from the shoreline and with two other swimmers when he was bitten multiple times.
The island off north-eastern Australia, a French overseas territory, is famed for its turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and having the world’s largest enclosed lagoon with magnificent coral, popular with divers and snorkelers.
The couple snapped together from their Facebook page
Bull sharks along with Tiger sharks and Great Whites are the most likely species to attack humans
Mr Berthalot was a keen snorkeller
It was really a savage and sudden attack. The first aid given was significant but the injuries were such that unfortunately there was not much that could be done.
A military police spokesman said: "It was really a savage and sudden attack,” the spokesman said. “Most people on board were health workers. The first aid given was significant but the injuries were such that unfortunately there was not much that could be done.”
A helicopter was sent to the boat but Mr Berthelot, 50, a French national, who was a call centre manager on the island and hired the boat with a group of friends, died.
His widow Anne, who was on the boat when it happened, paid tribute to him on Facebook, saying: "I've lost the man of my life tonight".
A friend also posted about him on the site: "We have lost a friend, a brother. Even though he was thousands of kilometres away from us we were close and we love him. Yesterday he went in a terrible way. All our condolences are with the family."