Overview

• On July 25, a shark bit a seven-year-old boy playing with about ten other children in Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva.
• The boy suffered injuries to his right forearm, left hand and lost part of one calf, prompting first responders to describe the wounds as “long and deep.”
• After initial treatment at Nuka Hiva’s small hospital, he was airlifted roughly 1,500 kilometers to the French Polynesia Hospital Centre in Tahiti for specialized care.
• A firefighter at the scene suggested that fish carcasses discarded by local fishermen may have attracted sharks closer to shore.
• The French Polynesia Hospital Centre in Tahiti reports the boy remains under medical care following his airlift for specialized treatment.