A spearfishman was bitten by a shark March 4.
The unidentified man was fishing with two friends north of Lifou Island, part of the Loyalty Islands Province in the archipelago of New Caledonia.
He had just strung a fish when a 7- foot (2m) shark showed up. The shark, which was identified as a gray shark, bit the man on the left side of his head before swimming off.
The 43-year-old was assisted by his friends and taken to Médipôle of Koutio, a private hospital in New Caledonia, for medical treatment.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
There have been a total of 18 shark attack bites in 2017, one of which was fatal; 5 were reported in the US, all of which occurred in Florida. Five have been reported in Australia, including one with no injury and none of which were fatal.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 shark attack bites tracking map.
