Grisly details of Australian shark victim’s autopsy released by New Caledonian authorities

Graphic details of the autopsy for Australian father Chris Davis who died in an attack by a monster tiger shark in New Caledonia have been released by authorities.

The post mortem, along with photos of the four-metre predator, reveal the fit triathlete and ‘beloved father’ of three never stood a chance.

Mr Davis, 59, died from horror injuries after being attacked while swimming 150 metres from the shore at Château-Royal beach in the New Caledonian capital of Noumea on February 19. 

The autopsy found Mt Davis suffered a bite to his ‘the major thigh, extending 37 centimeters from the hip to the knee, causing a deep lesion with the section of the femoral artery’.

This ‘single bite could have caused the death of the Australian tourist’ on its own due to blood loss.

Graphic details of the autopsy for Australian father Chris Davis, 59,  who died in an attack by a tiger shark in New Caledonia have been released by authorities

Local authorities believe they captured the monster shark (pictured above) that fatally wounded Mr Davis biting him through the thigh and arms while he sawm off Château-Royal beach in Noumea on February 19

Paramedics from Noumea city’s emergency services centre, the Services d’Incendie et de Secours, who intervened after Mr Davis’s attack on ‘tried to pull the victim out, but the femoral artery was severed’

A second bite from the shark could also have proven fatal ‘given the extent of the lesions’.  

The second bite was located in the victim’s ‘upper limbs, the forearm and the hands’. 

Police forensic investigators sought the assistance of shark experts who deduced that given ‘the shape and extent of the bites’, the attack ‘could be attributed to a tiger shark of a size of four metres’.

Paramedics from Noumea city’s emergency services centre ‘tried to pull the victim out, but the femoral artery was severed’. 

Dr Vincent Ouradou told New Caledonian television news that Mr Davis was bitten three times on his right leg and on both arms but died from those injuries.

Mr Davis had been on holiday in New Caledonia when killed by the shark, with eye witnesses saying the attack lasted no more than 10 seconds.

Jetskiers plucked him from the water and took him to the sand where paramedics performed CPR for 40 minutes, but could not revive the stricken Sydney father.

A statement from Mr Davis’s wife and three sons said they were ‘deeply mourning the loss of our beloved husband and father’

‘Chris was a senior software programming consultant in the superannuation and funds management industry and a keen triathlete, having represented Australia several times in age group world championship events,’ the statement said.

The statement also expressed gratitude to his rescuers and paramedics who tried to save him.

It was the third shark attack in the bay in recent months, after a local teacher lost her leg on January 29 and a foil surfer was attacked but escaped unharmed a week later. 

Noumea’s mayor Sonia Lagarde said after the attack she would engage a more intensive campaign of fishing for sharks like France’s island territory of Reunion, off Africa, where there had been on attacks on swimmers for two years since 800 of the predators had been culled.

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Dr Vincent Ouradou told New Caledonian television news that Mr Davis was bitten three times on his right leg and on both arms but died from those injuries

Locals speculated the shark may have been drawn to the beach by food discarded into the water from a nearby restaurant’s viewing platform, with warnings and posters (above) for people not to throw food or fish with in 500m of the shore

She said ‘permanent drone surveillance was impossible’ due to the cost and  human resources.

A map of shark attacks in New Caledonia and surrounding islands over the 60 years shows attacks have happened regularly at tourist beaches around Noumea.  

In distressing scenes, small children watched the attack and attempts to save Mr Davis and sought comfort from their horrified parents.

Beaches in the area where closed after the attack and drones were deployed to try and track down the killer shark.

Local authorities believe they captured and killed the massive tiger shark responsible after a three day hunt.

There has been local speculation that the shark may have been drawn to the beach by food discarded into the water from a nearby restaurant’s viewing platform, with local posters warning for people not to throw food or fish less than 500m from the shore. 

Shocking aerial footage emerged showing the moment Mr Davis was attacked.

In it a swimmer can be seen flailing as the water around him appears to be thrashing.

Another series of footage, of the aftermath of the attack, also emerged but Daily Mail Australia deemed it too graphic to publish.

In it lifeguards could be seen struggling to pull the man off the jet ski after beaching it on the shore. 

Tragic footage emerged showing two lifeguards desperately trying to save Mr Davis. Daily Mail Australia deemed it was too graphic to publish

A map of shark attacks in New Caledonia and surrounding islands over the 60 years shows attacks have happened regularly at tourist beaches around Noumea 

One lifeguard was then seen jumping off the jet ski and running up towards the nearby Hotel Chateau Royal to get help while the other grabbed the Australian man under his arms and started to pull him up the sand. 

A statement from Mr Davis’s wife and three sons said they were ‘deeply mourning the loss of our beloved husband and father’

‘Chris was a senior software programming consultant in the superannuation and funds management industry and a keen triathlete, having represented Australia several times in age group world championship events,’ the statement said.

The statement also expressed gratitude to his rescuers and paramedics who tried to save him. 

His body has been returned to Australia.