Tourist fighting for life after losing leg in horror shark attack at popular holiday hotspot

Dan McDonald
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:13:50 +0000

A Spanish newlywed is fighting for his life after a horror shark attack in the Maldives left him needing his leg amputated.

The man, from Alicante, suffered catastrophic injuries on Monday when he was viciously bitten while swimming off Kooddoo island in the Gaafu Alif Atoll.

Surgeons were forced to amputate his leg following severe blood loss.

A relative of his wife told El Periódico Mediterráneo: "With one bite, it took all the flesh from the knee down off her husband's leg."

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The couple had travelled to the Indian Ocean destination for their honeymoon.

The victim is believed to have entered the water as part of a group at a popular swimming spot.

Kooddoo has become a hotspot for honeymooners but is also home to significant populations of spinner sharks.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that a bull shark was responsible.

A source told local media: "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."

Emergency services rushed the man to Gaafu Alif Atoll Hospital before he was airlifted to the capital, Malé.

He remains in intensive care at ADK Hospital, where doctors are fighting to save his life.

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A close friend said: "They are trying to save him, he's in intensive care, but the medical conditions there are very precarious."

Local reports suggest the attack may have been linked to conditions around the nearby fish processing plant, where waste had reportedly not been disposed of for around a week.

Sharks in the area typically feed on the waste, and the disruption to their food source may have left them more aggressive when the group entered the water.

The country - comprised of around 1,200 coral islands - is home to at least 30 species of shark.

According to figures published by Maldivian authorities, 112 tourists have died in marine incidents in the archipelagic country since 2020.

The tiny South Asian nation has seen an influx of tourists in recent years, seeing more than 2 million flood its shores in 2024 alone.

It is also popular holiday destination among Britons, with an estimated 180,000 travelling there every year.