Woman Loses Husband To Bull Shark Attack

A man who was brutally attacked by a bull shark while swimming off the coast of New Caledonia has been identified as French national Yves Berthelot.

Mr Berthelot, 50, was on a catamaran with his friends south of the archipelago when he was killed. 

His widow, Anne, paid a heartbreaking tribute to her husband on Facebook, saying 'I've lost the man of my life tonight'. 

He was swimming just metres from a catamaran with his wife and friends in the Pacific Ocean on Saturday when he was bitten multiple times by a bull shark, according to Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes. 

The vessel was anchored near Kouare island, which is 27 kilometres south of Ouen - a popular destination for boating tourists near Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia.

Mr Berthelot was only snorkelling 'a few dozen metres from the shore' with two other people when he was attacked, local media reported.

Relatives of Mr Berthelot, a majority of them health professionals, pulled him from the water when he was attacked and tried to revive him.

Unfortunately, they were unable to and he died at the scene, 45 minutes before the nearest paramedics could arrive.

A friend of Mr Berthelot also posted a tribute to him on Facebook. 

'We have lost a friend, a brother. Even though he was thousands of kilometres away from us we were close and we love him,' she wrote.

'Yesterday he went in a terrible way. Our thoughts turn to Anne, Sophie, Alice and Mano. All our condolences are with the family.' 

Mr Berthelot, who worked as an associate director and manager for off-shore call centre OléCall, leaves behind his wife and a daughter. 

The shark was thought to be between 3.2 metres to 3.5 metres long. 

A military police spokesman described the attack as 'really savage and sudden'.

'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,' he told local radio.

Mr Berthelot's body, along with his wife, were airlifted by helicopter from the island in the southern part of New Caledonia.

New Caledonia is a French overseas territory off north-eastern Australia.

The collection of islands are renowned for their beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters. 

-Daily Mail