Fatal Shark Attack | Bourail | March 2009

Shark attack details: Bourail, West coast, 06-Mar-2009
Date of attack:	March 6th 2009
Location:	Bourail, West coast
Shark species:	unknown
Name of victim:	Kevin Hannecart
Age of victim:	19 years old
Sex of victim:	M
Activity:	Surfing
Injury:	FATAL

Fatal Shark Attack off the Coast of New Caledonia

On March 6, 2009, 19-year-old Kevin Hannecart, a student from Cherbourg, France, was fatally attacked by a shark while surfing off Bourail on the west coast of New Caledonia. Hannecart, who was studying in Noumea, was in the water around 11:30 a.m. when the attack occurred.

The weather was cloudy, with moderate winds and turbid water due to recent rains. Reports indicate that Hannecart suffered multiple severe injuries, including bites to his right arm, thigh, and lower leg. His friend managed to bring him to shore, but he had already succumbed to his injuries by the time emergency workers arrived.

Authorities initially suspected the attack involved a bull shark, with some reports suggesting multiple sharks were involved. Other accounts described a single shark between 3.5 and 4 metres in length. A later forensic study by Eric Clua and Dennis Reid suggested the culprit was a white shark, approximately 2.7 metres long. Attempts to capture the shark were unsuccessful.

Hannecart’s death remains one of New Caledonia’s most tragic shark incidents, highlighting the risks of surfing in shark-inhabited waters.

Shark attack at Bourail, West coast, New Caledonia

Fatal Shark Attack off the Coast of New Caledonia

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