Reunion Island's no stranger to tragedy and another wave-rider has lost his life to a shark.

At approximately 9:30 am on Tuesday, Feb 21, 2017, a 26-year-old male known as “Krapo” (his name has not been released yet), paddled out at a spot that was officially closed to swimmers. Officials have noted that warning signs regarding shark activity had been ‘sawn off’ by vandals.

“The attack happened in Saint-Andre. The victim was bitten in the femoral artery,” explained a local police spokesman.

After the attack, friends in the area got the victim to shore and began emergency medical efforts immediately. A medic’s helicopter arrived on scene, but 'by the time he was pulled on to the beach he was dead', said the spokesman.

“Another young passionate kid gone too soon, very sad… Make sure you score some perfect barrels up there with all the legends,” said Jeremy Flores on his social media channels.

The beach at Saint-Andre is at the mouth of a river and has a reputation for being sharky. This is the 20th attack in the past six years. Previously, the most recent attacks on Reunion occurred last year when a 21-year-old bodyboarder lost his right arm and a leg in an attack. A 13-year-old boy was killed by a shark in April 2015.