A windsurfing doctor was savagely mauled to death in a shark attack while his horrified family watched from the beach on a holiday paradise island.
The 55-year-old was catching waves on a popular beach on New Caledonia - a French territory in the South Pacific, east of Australia - when he suddenly was seen thrashing around in the water.
A shark had ambushed him and was throwing him around by its jaws, clamping its razor-sharp teeth into his arms and legs.
The doctor, who has not yet been named, was sadly fatally injured as his family looked on. His body was later found floating in a nearby lagoon by sailors out on their boats on Sunday afternoon, local firefighters reported.
The sailors had pulled him out of the water and attempted to revive him, but it was too late. Medics confirmed he was dead shortly after they arrived, Nouvelle-Caledonie Prevention Requin (New Caledonia Shark Prevention) said.
Officials deemed the wounds to his right forearm, leg and left tibia were consistent with a shark attack. His windsurfing board was also found with a chunk taken out of it, appearing to be a sharkbite, The Sun said.
More than a dozen police officers rushed to the horrifying scene to protect other beachgoers. They closed the sands while specialist teams were sent to look after the grief-stricken victim's family, local cops said.
A post-mortem is currently underway to officially confirm the cause of the doctor's death.
The 55-year-old doctor was mauled to death by a shark off the coast of New Caledonia while his family watched the horrifying attack
The beach, near the capital Nouméa was 'particularly busy' over the weekend, despite a serious shark attack on a 49-year-old days before that left them seriously injured. Officials warn against sharks on the tourism board website
Nouméa prosecutor Yves Dupas said: 'We do not yet know how the attack unfolded. We are trying to determine the circumstances.'
Nouvelle-Caledonie Prevention Requin said: 'A man lost his life after a shark attack, in the area of the Château Royal beach, in Nouméa.
'Late Sunday afternoon, rescue teams were at the scene and the beach was evacuated.'
The beach near the capital Nouméa had been particularly busy over the weekend, despite the island often being described as a shark hotspot.
A number of fatal shark attacks have happened here. As recently as 2023, a 59-year-old Australian tourist was also killed by a shark in New Caledonian waters after it mauled him several times on his arms and legs.
It was all captured on horrifying CCTV footage which showed the man splashing around during the deadly attack.
Jet skiers raced in to save him but he had already been too badly hurt for emergency services to be able save him on the beach.
Only days before the doctor was killed, a 49-year-old swimmer was seriously injured in another shark attack.
Officials are aware of these dangers and there are warnings on the territories travel website about sharks.
It reads: 'Avoid swimming at certain times of day, such as dawn, dusk, or after heavy rainfall, when water visibility is low and sharks are more likely to be hunting.'
They also advise against swimming or engaging in watersports alone as the extreme movements can attract predators.
