A man who ignored warnings not to surf off the coast of Reunion Island has died after being bitten on the leg by a shark.

Alexandre Naussance, 26, who was once employed as a shark spotter by a surfing association, was attacked while bodyboarding off the northeast coast of the French territory in the Indian Ocean.

He was pulled out of the water by fishermen but pronounced dead after the animal bit through a major artery in his leg.

"This accident happened even though swimming and other water sports are forbidden in this area," the local government office said in a statement.

It is reported young people had been there for several days, despite being warned by locals of a shark.


Reunion has become a shark attack hot-spot, with 20 incidents since 2011 - eight of which have been fatal.

In 2015 alone, there were four attacks in six months, two of which were fatal.

The attack on Mr Naussance is the first since August, when a 21-year-old surfer who was in the water despite a red warning flag was bitten by a bull shark. He had to have an arm and a leg amputated.

Authorities have installed nets and tried to warn swimmers and surfers of the dangers lurking in the seas around the island.

Surfing competitions only returned to Reunion 12 months ago following a five-year absence after a shark attacked local surf champion Eric Dargent.