Seychelles Shark Attack: Man Killed on Dream Honeymoon

In the second week of their honeymoon, a British man was killed in a freak shark attack as his new wife sat sunbathing on the beach.

Ian Redmond, 30, actually survived the attack off Anse Lazio beach on the island of Praslin, the second largest island in the Seychelles. However, he died shortly afterward, a local police spokesman said.

Redmond lost an arm and suffered severe hip injures while snorkeling about 30 feet off the beach.

According to police spokesman Jean Toussaint, two men on a catamaran assisted Redmond just after 5:00 p.m. local time and he was taken to a hospital.

"We discovered that the British citizen was badly injured on the hips and the arms. He was assisted medically but unfortunately he could not make it. We haven't got the autopsy report yet, but he definitely lost a lot of blood." he said.

One onlooker told the Daily Mirror that his widow was saying she "still had hope" for her husband while he lay on the sand with horrific injuries after the attack.

Ironically, the attack fell on the day the island's government held an emergency meeting to discuss a previous shark attack that killed a French diver on August 2.

Prior to this month's deaths, the last recorded fatal shark attack in the Seychelles was in 1963.

The 36-year-old French tourist was killed in the waters off the same beach and authorities are now working to find the creature.

"We need to find the beast and get it out of our waters, we have requested help from South Africa and two experts are arriving in the country in the next day," Seychelles Tourism Board director Alain St Ange told the BBC.

"We have now closed the beach and all the surrounding beaches, and stopped diving in the area," he added.

In an emotional tribute, Redmond's new wife Gemma said:

"Myself, our families and our friends are devastated and shocked by what has happened. The loss of Ian has left a gaping hole in our hearts that will never be filled.

"He was always calm and collected, strong and brave, witty and intelligent, handsome and caring, a remarkable individual who will be deeply and sorely missed. We are privileged and proud to have shared our lives with him."

It was reported that the parents of Mr Redmond and his wife were travelling to the Seychelles following the attack.

The Evening Standard reports that the couple married in an "idyllic" wedding and were on the second week of their honeymoon. They had known each other for eight years, and had spent the past two preparing to move into a cottage together.