A kitesurfer has been bitten by a shark in New Caledonia on Sainte-Marie Island, Nouméa
Pierre de Rotalier was surfing in the Pacific Ocean off Sainte-Marie Island, Nouméa on Thursday. Rotalier saw the shark coming toward him and feared for his life as the shark bit his right heel and board.
The 45-year-old told Les Nouvelles-Caledoniennes “It was when I was gybing [turning] that the shark attacked me from behind. I was hit hard”.
De Rotalier began swimming toward the shore and was picked up by a boat and carried to the beach.
The unidentified species of shark was estimated to be nearly 10 ft (3m) long.
In February of 2016, a 21-year-old was bitten on the thigh while kitesurfing in the same area.
There have been a total of thirty-three shark attack bites in 2016. Three of which were fatal. Eleven in the United States, with nine occurring in Florida. All have been marked on the 2016 shark attack bites tracking map.
