A fishing trip ended tragically on Saturday when a Bua fisherman was killed by a shark which savagely ripped off his left arm.
An article published in The Fiji Times on May 19, 1997 stated Marika Nasau, 22, died from a loss of blood.
Police at Nabouwalu, Nasau, of Naivaka Village on the north-west coast of Bua confirmed he was accompanied on the fishing trip by 14 other villagers.
The fishing party had left Naivaka on Saturday morning and headed for Motonisici Reef, off Yaqaga Island, where the incident took place.
The shark attack occurred at about 2pm and was the first recorded by the fishermen in those waters.
Police said Nasau had attempted some diving at a reef about 25 metres from where his companions were fishing.
Minutes later, the villagers heard loud splashes and saw a shark’s fin. They saw Nasau struggling to swim away from the shark but to no avail.
They watched as the attack continued, but they could not do anything.
Mr Nasau’s right arm was partially torn off and severely bitten.
Police said the group could not do much during the attack because the shark threatened all efforts to save the dying man.
Inspector Selanai Raumakita of the Police Command Centre at the Central Police Station said the matter was first reported to the Nabouwalu Police Station which was then relayed to Labasa Police Station.
Inspector Raumakita said the villagers who accompanied Mr Nasau confirmed the shark was a big one.
Reports from Bua said the attack was so swift that it was hard to determine what type of shark it was.
Director of Fisheries Maciu Logabalavu said it was rare for sharks to attack in the area and it was the first such attack off the Bua coast.
The last attack, which claimed a life, was in Yasawa in 1995 when a 69-year-old man was bitten by a mako shark.
Fishermen in the outlying islands and coastal villages depend on diving and catching fish for their livelihood.
