A German woman who was sailing on a UK flagged catamaran that was south of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, has died after being attacked by a shark according to Spanish authorities.

Published 2 days ago

Open Ocean Attack

The woman, aged 30, was travelling on a catamaran that was sailing southbound from Gran Canaria Island when she was attacked by a shark that bit off one of her legs.

Spain’s maritime rescue service, Salvamento Marítimo said the British-flagged catamaran Dalliance Chichester was about 110 miles west of the Western Saharan city of Dakhla when the attack happened.

The boat’s crew made an emergency call to the Spanish rescue service, which shares responsibility for the zone with the its Moroccan counterpart. The Moroccan authorities asked Salvamento Marítimo to lead the operation effort as it had no rescue craft in the area.

A Spanish air force search-and-rescue helicopter was scrambled from Gran Canaria, which reached the woman at 20.05 on Thursday September 19. Salvamento Marítimo also contacted nearby boats, one of which managed to offer assistance while the helicopter was on the way.

The helicopter flew from Gran Canaria to the area which was 514 kilometres (320 miles) south of the island and evacuated the injured woman but she was pronounced dead on arrival at the Doctor Negrín hospital in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.

According to a news report from Reuters, the woman was swimming in the water beside the catamaran when the attack occurred.

Spanish Authorities to Investigate the Incident

Spanish authorities have opened an investigation into the fatal shark attack on the woman according to the Spanish Salavamento Maritimo Rescue Service.

According to a report in The Guardian.Com, a spokesperson for the Canaries’ courts service confirmed that a court in Las Palmas had begun an investigation into the incident, “as it does in the case of any accidental death”. They said no one had been called to testify. The Guardia Civil police force also said it was looking into the matter.

Shark-related Fatalities are Rare

Even though a few shark species are large and aggressive enough to hunt animals the size of humans, actual shark attacks and fatalities are rare around the world. The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) identified 14 shark-related fatalities around the world in 2023. ISAF has recorded only six confirmed shark-related incidents in Spain’s history.

The fatal attack comes less than a month after a shark killed a 16-year-old high school student in Jamaica.  In July, an Australian surfer lost his leg after a great white shark attack.  The month before that, Hawaiian surfer Tamayo Perry died after sustaining fatal injuries in a shark attack off the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands.

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Related News:

• German Woman Killed in Shark Attack off Canary Islands (Reuters)
• Spanish Court Opens Investigation into Fatal Shark Attack off Canary Islands (The Guardian.com)
• Tourist Dies After Losing Leg in Shark Attack (CBS News)

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Related Links:

• Florida Museum – International Shark Attack File

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