Windsurfing Doctor Who Died in Tiger Shark Attack Had 6 Bites
Horrific new details are emerging about the doctor, Cyril Chevalier, who died in a shark attack while windsurfing along a popular beach in New Caledonia.
Nouvelle-Caledonie Prevention Requin released the update on its Facebook page. In an earlier Facebook post, the Nouvelle-Caledonie Prevention Requin announced that Chevalier had died “after a shark attack on Duck Island in Noumea" in the area of the Château Royal beach. They wrote that “a 55-year-old man was practicing wingfoil in Vata Inlet, at the height of Magnin Point, when he was allegedly attacked by a shark. His body was discovered in the lagoon by a boater who issued the alert.”
The lead prosecutor in the region has now revealed that Chevalier suffered six bites from a tiger shark that was almost 10 feet long. According to France3, Chevalier "worked as an emergency room doctor in Nouméa. Originally from Caen, he was 55 years old."
Cyril Chevalier Suffered Bites to His Forearm & Both Legs, Authorities Said
(Photo by Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Forensic examinations "revealed six bites in the right forearm, right leg and left leg. The lesions observed in the right leg resulted in the section of the artery and the femoral vein," according to les Nouvelles Caledoniennes.
A shark expert told authorities that the "bites are compatible with a tiger-type shark, of an estimated size of at least 3 meters. Traces of bites were also found on the victim’s equipment, especially at the back of the board, on its upper and lower faces," the site reported. Three meters is almost 10 feet long.
According to medical examiners, the man drowned, likely after the shark bit him on the wrist first, "the death follows a drowning, which is linked to a first bite on the wrist," causing a state of panic and inhalation of water. The other bites, including the wound in the right leg, could be post-mortem," wrote les Nouvelles Caledoniennes.
New Caledonia "has been the scene of more than 62 interactions between man and shark between 1980 and 2022, of which 24 have been deadly," according to Nouvelle Caledonie.
A 'Pleasure Boat' Raised the Alarm About Cyril Chevalier's Death
According to AFP and France 3, a "pleasure boat" first alerted authorities to Chevalier's death.
"He had settled in New Caledonia with his family and was practicing wing foiling, a discipline combining board, foil and inflatable wing, when he was fatally attacked," that site reported.
Heavy rainfall increased the number of sharks near shore, according to the sites, which noted that authorities responded by announcing a campaign to cull the number of sharks in the region. In 2023, an Australian tourist died of a shark attack at the same beach in New Caledonia, which an island that is located in the South Pacific, according to CNN. It is popular with tourists.
"Given the seriousness of the tragedy, the Southern Province and the City of Nouméa have decided, in coordination, to take responsibility and relaunch a targeted campaign to cull tiger and bull sharks starting this week," authorities announced in a press release. Chevalier was described as an experienced "kitesurfer."