A Swiss exchange student who recently qualified as a diving instructor heroically fought off a bull shark mauling his girlfriend before carrying her to shore, and raised the alarm after being bitten twice on the leg himself.
Lukas Schindler, 26, and his 25-year-old girlfriend Livia Muhlheim, also a Swiss national, were swimming near the remote Kylies Beach campground about four hours north of Sydney when what authorities believe was a mature bull shark at least three metres long attacked them just after 6am Thursday.
Lukas Schindler survived Thursday’s shark attack at Kylies Beach. In August he completed the Sydney Marathon.Credit: Marathon Photos Live
The 25-year-old was attacked moments after her GoPro captured her swimming with dolphins. Muhlheim was bitten several times and lost her left arm in the fatal attack.
Schindler, who according to his LinkedIn profile completed an exchange semester at the University of Technology Sydney from July to November this year, swam out to his girlfriend and was bitten twice on the right leg while trying to punch the shark.
In August, Schindler ran the Sydney Marathon in a time of 2 hours and 59 minutes, according to the race’s official results website.
Despite his injuries, Schindler swam his girlfriend back to shore, retrieved his phone and ran up the beach to call emergency services. His life was likely saved by a passer-by, praised by authorities for their quick thinking, who applied a makeshift tourniquet to his injured leg. Muhlheim died on the beach.
Schindler was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, after the attack.Credit: Nine News
Schindler was flown to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital, where he remained in a stable condition on Friday.
Police are reviewing the couple’s GoPro footage, which captured dolphins in the water moments before the attack. It is unclear if the attack was captured on camera. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
