As Britain's Prince William and Kate celebrated their honeymoon in the archipelago in May, the Seychelles have become one of the most sought tourist attractions and honeymoon locations.
The high-end beautiful archipelago popular for honeymooners witnessed a tragedy Wednesday after a shark mauled a British man as his newly-wed wife watched in horror. The blue waves of the Seychelles turned red when a shark attacked Ian Redmond, 30. He was hauled into a boat nearby and taken to shore following the attack but because of multiple injuries he died from blood loss, according to police reports.
Redmond’s grieving widow Gemma said in a statement that her husband's death left a "gaping hole in our hearts that will never be filled. We were having so much fun and we were so excited about our future together.”
While the fatal attack on the honeymooner left his wife in shock, it encourages many others to review marine life safety protocols and especially key facts about sharks.
Compared to other dangers shark attacks are relatively rarely. According to statistics there likely is 30 times higher chance to be killed by a lightning bolt than a shark attack. Marine life experts say that most shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity such as regarding humans as sea lion or seal as sharks don't particularly like the taste of human.
Having dived with some 40 species of shark, including some of the biggest and scariest, James Honeyborne, BBC Natural History Producer, says that he has come to the conclusion that almost every attack can be explained through understanding their natural behavior.
Click “start” to prevent shark attacks with these tips:
Anse Lazio Beach on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles.creative commonsDiving employed by Barcelona's aquarium come face to face with a Sandtiger shark January 18, 2002, one of several new residents to Barcelona's aquarium. The Sandtigers, from South Africa, were unloaded at Barcelona's aquarium. The sharks rarely attack humans, despite their widespread negative image as invincible man-eating predators.ReutersBritish tourist Chris Sullivan talks to journalists at a Cape Town hospital where he is recovering after being attacked by a shark. British tourist Chris Sullivan talks to journalists, March 30, 2005, at a Cape Town hospital where he is recovering after being attacked by a shark. Sullivan suffered lacerations after he was attacked by what is believed to have been a Great White shark while surfing off the city's Noordhoek beach on Monday. ReutersPeople, standing in front of a sand castle, scan the water for sharks in Kihei, Hawaii December 21, 2005. Jonathan Genant , a San Diego visitor, had his left hand bitten off while returning from a mile-long swim off Keawakapu Beach on the south shore of Maui, Hawaii, local papers reported. Picture taken December 21.ReutersA surfboard with a bite taken out of it by a shark in Binalong Bay, near St Helens, Tasmania is seen in this handout obtained January 12, 2009. Three shark attacks in Australia in two days this week sparked a global media frenzy of "Jaws" proportions, but sharks are more at risk in the ocean than humans with man killing million of sharks each year. ReutersTourists are seen at a beach at which swimming and diving is prohibited at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh December 6, 2010. A shark killed a German tourist who had been swimming near the shore at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, days after a string of attacks injured several divers, Egypt health officials said. The body of the 70-year-old woman was washed onto the shore. Officials said she had lost her right thigh and right elbow.ReutersA fisherman holds the shark which was identified by an Egyptian diver as the shark which attacked four tourists in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh December 2, 2010. The killer shark was caught off the resort a day after it mauled the tourists on Wednesday, Egypt's Environment Ministry quoted to RIA Novosti. RIA Novosti also reported that the Egyptian diver, who rescued one of the tourists, identified the shark by recognizing the predator's damaged fin. Authorities will investigate further to confirm that this particular shark was responsible for the attacks.ReutersAn unidentified family member of a shark attack victim is consoled as she leaves a lifeguard station in Solana Beach, California April 25, 2008. A man was attacked and killed by a shark in the ocean near San Diego on Friday, the first person to die in a shark encounter off the Southern California coast in nearly 50 years.ReutersA 4.5 metre (15 feet) long, 1500kg frozen Great Hammerhead Shark is seen at Melbourne Aquarium July 12, 2011. The shark was caught in Australian waters as a by-catch by commercial fishermen in March 2010. It is housed in a specially designed refrigerated unit and is used as a promotional exhibit to raise awarness of shark conservation. The Great Hammerhead Shark is the largest species of the hammerhead family, it is also the most endangered.ReutersA tourist snorkels near a beach prohibiting swimming and diving after recent shark attacks at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh December 7, 2010. Reuters
