A fishing expedition turned fatal on Saturday when a fisherman from Bua lost his life after a shark attacked him, severing his left arm. Marika Nasau, 22, succumbed to severe blood loss following the incident, according to a report from The Fiji Times.
Local police in Nabouwalu confirmed that Nasau was with 14 fellow villagers on the fishing trip. They had departed from Naivaka early Saturday morning heading towards Motonisici Reef, near Yaqaga Island, where the tragic event unfolded.
The attack occurred around 2 PM and was the first such incident reported by fishermen in that region. Authorities revealed that Nasau was diving at a reef approximately 25 meters from where his companions were fishing when he encountered the shark.
His fellow villagers described hearing loud splashes before spotting a shark’s fin and seeing Nasau attempting to escape from the predator, but he was unable to get away. While they witnessed the brutal attack, the group was powerless to intervene due to the shark’s aggressive presence.
Nasau’s right arm was also severely injured during the attack. Police noted that intervention attempts were thwarted as the shark posed a threat to anyone trying to help.
Inspector Selanai Raumakita from the Central Police Station explained that the incident was initially reported to the Nabouwalu Police Station and subsequently conveyed to Labasa Police Station. The villagers confirmed that the shark was impressively large.
According to local reports, the attack occurred so quickly that it was difficult to identify the species of the shark. Maciu Logabalavu, the Director of Fisheries, remarked that shark attacks in this area are uncommon, marking this as the first such incident along the Bua coast. The last deadly shark attack in Fiji was recorded in Yasawa in 1995, when a 69-year-old man was bitten by a mako shark.
Fishermen in the surrounding islands and coastal communities rely on diving and fishing as their primary source of income.