Mystery of European island forced to ban swimming over 30 'horror movie' shark attacks
There's no better feeling than heading to the beach on vacation and having a dip in the sea, but if you're visiting one European island you will be met with some restrictions.
Réunion Island, a French territory, is located in the Indian Ocean near Africa and has become known over the years for its historic 'shark crisis'.
Some 30 shark attacks and 11 fatalities were recorded between 2011 and 2019. To combat that horrifying stat, authorities banned swimming along most of the European island's coastline.
"Due to the particularly abundant marine wildlife, swimming, water sports and diving are forbidden within a perimeter of 300m around the Reunion Island coastlines," the island's tourist board said.
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Rodolphe Arriéguy was attacked by a shark while swimming in July 2015, with his friend, Erwann Lagabrielle, watching the terrifying event unfold.
The attack happened at Saint-Leu, known for being one of the best island spots on a hot summer's day.
Recalling what he saw, Dr Lagabrielle told 9news.com.au: "[Rodolphe] was attacked by a shark 20 metres in front of me. It was like a horror movie."
Lagabrielle ultimately swam to his pal to help, though he was completely in the dark regarding what he was about to uncover.
He added: "The water was white foam and then the white turned to pink and the pink turned to red. I swam to my friend and that was the most frighting thing — I was swimming against my own instinct."
Arriéguy was bitten by the shark several times, but Lagabrielle was able to stem the bleeding thanks to a tourniquet from his surfboard leash.
"The shark swam away and I knew in most cases there was no re-attack," Dr Lagabrielle added.
At that point, Lagabrielle knew his friend was going to survive.
After being rushed to hospital, Arriéguy had his arm amputated in what is one of many tragic incidents of shark attacks in water along the island.
90 percent of the shark attacks are thought to have involved Bull sharks, which are often seen as the deadliest to humans due to their ability to efficiently weave through rivers.
However, the influx of attacks near Réunion Island grew more mysterious when they suddenly - and thankfully - came to a stop, with none recorded on the island for seven years.
Of course, the banning of swimming on certain beaches has played a part, though some areas do permit a dip in the sea in designated zones. As for the locals, they report a general sense of safety in the water.
Quentin Cesard, the former sports director of island's surf league, told The Inertia: "When you look through the (lens of) freesurfing, it’s back to what it used to be in Réunion.
"It was a tough time. We lost many friends, but it’s pretty much like everywhere else in the world now. I mean, we’ve got sharks in the ocean, which is normal, but we continue to surf."
Meanwhile, Laury Le Coustour, a shop owner on the island told the outlet that the summer season has returned to the 'very busy' levels seen years ago.
Callum Jones