A paddle boarder was found by a fisherman after being savaged to death by a shark, it has been reported.
The 53-year-old was discovered with evidence of shark bites near to a beach in Noumea, New Caledonia in the South Pacific.
It is the latest in a spree of shark attacks in the area since the beginning of the year.
The lifeless body of the boater was found last Saturday off the Nouville peninsula, which is on the main island of the French South Pacific territory.
An autopsy to confirm the cause of death is expected on Monday, reports Al Arabiya News.
“At this stage, investigators do indeed suspect a shark attack,” state prosecutor Yves Dupas was reported to have said in a statement.
(Image: Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Authorities regularly issue shark alerts and warn swimmers to be vigilant for a number of species found in the waters which surround New Caledonia.
And there have been other shark attacks already this year.
In February, a 57-year-old man was killed near Maitre island after he was bitten by a tiger shark that witnesses said was four meters long.
Authorities also suspect the disappearance of a swimmer and a boater earlier this year could be a result of sharks that have settled along the coasts near Noumea.
Meanwhile, Twenty-four tiger and bull sharks that officials said were particularly large or aggressive were culled near the capital last month.
Tiger sharks swim up to 60 miles a day so finding them can be tricky.
French Polynesia banned shark fishing in 2006 and now the seas are bustling with the creatures again.