Lucas Schindler, 26, and Olivia Mulheim, 25, were out filming dolphins just off Kylies Beach, south of Port Macquarie on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, when a bull shark hit them.
Schindler was bitten in the leg while trying to fend the animal off. Badly hurt, he still hauled Mulheim back to shore, and bystanders rushed in to help. Mulheim, a Swiss tourist, died of her injuries. Doctors saved Schindler, though he may struggle to walk again.
Who they were
Mulheim worked as an investment associate at the Swiss asset manager Bellecapital, which she joined in 2024 after studying at the University of St Gallen. She swam for pleasure and judged artistic swimming for the Swiss Swimming Federation. Schindler is a marathon runner who finished the Sydney Marathon in August.
A beach shut down
Beaches around Crowdy Bay stayed closed, and could remain so through the weekend. Fisheries NSW placed half a dozen drum lines off the beach to catch the shark responsible, and Surf Life Saving is searching with drones. No sharks have been seen in the area since the attack.
Locals were shaken. “Everyone was talking about it yesterday, it’s just terrible,” one resident told 9News. “My child was camping out here last week, swimming. I just couldn’t imagine how everyone’s feeling.”
David Pearson, who survived a shark attack himself, belongs to a group that helps people through the aftermath. He said Schindler faces a long road. “He’s in a whole world of hurt, obviously not just from his injury, but, you know, emotionally he’s going to be really struggling,” Pearson said. His group, he added, tries to help people understand life after an attack, “because it’s not an easy journey.”
Sources
Sources
- Google News – Shark attack at NSW beach – Overview
- Swiss tourist killed by shark on NSW beach identified | Nine.com.au
