The bite occurred on Kooddoo, an island in the Maldives. Photo: Mike Swigunski // Unsplash
A newlywed had his dream honeymoon turn into a nightmare this week. During a post-nuptual retreat to the Maldives, a Spanish man was bitten by a shark – an attack that required the amputation of one leg and left him in critical condition.
According to local newspaper El Periodico Mediterraneo, the man, identified as a 31-year-old Spanish gynecologist named Borja, was on his honeymoon when the bite occurred. The newlyweds were visiting Kooddoo, one of the inhabited islands of Gaafu Alif Atoll, which is also home to a four-star hotel called the Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort in the southern part of the island. Kooddoo apparently has some unreliable (but uncrowded) surf over exposed reef. The more famous waves in the Maldives are further north.
The Honeymooning pair joined a group that entered the waters when, as a source from the family told El Periodico Mediterraneo, a shark took off all of the flesh from his knee down in one bite.
According to The Mirror, the incident occurred near the Kooddoo fish processing plant, an area known for high shark activity. According to their local sources, the plant had not dumped fish waste for around a week: “The sharks were likely in a heightened state of hunger and anticipation. When the group jumped in, the entry itself may have triggered a predatory response.”
The man was taken to a local hospital, before being airlifted to the Maldives’ capital and admitted to an intensive care unit. His leg was amputated and he remains in critical condition.
According to El Periodico Mediterraneo, the man’s family has already filed a complaint with the Maldivian authorities, alleging that the bite was the result of negligence on the part of the tourism company that they had hired for the experience.
