Maldives shark attack: Spanish honeymooner breaks silence after losing leg in 'savage' tiger shark ordeal

Shark attack

Alicante doctor Borja Garcia Sousa, 31, shares hospital bed selfie with wife Ana as police investigate tour organisers for negligence following horrific incident off Kooddoo island.

Gerard Couzens

A Spanish man attacked by a shark in the Maldives during his honeymoon has spoken for the first time of his ordeal.

Spaniard Borja Garcia Sousa, 31, described the horror incident which nearly cost him his life and led to the amputation of his leg as “the most cruel and savage episode” the couple had ever experienced.

In an emotional social media post he said he was longing to return home and “hug and kiss” his loved ones.

And in a tribute to the woman he married just before they left for the Indian Ocean paradise where he experienced his near-death moment on 11 April, Borja said on Instagram where he lists his life’s motto as ‘Don’t let fear stop you’: “If there’s one thing I’m sure of after all this, it’s that there was no better person to go through that storm with.”

The tourist, a semi-professional futsal player who works at a hospital in Alicante, was airlifted to hospital following the shark attack in front of his wife Ana.

They are understood to have been part of a group that entered the water near a fishing processing plant off an island called Kooddoo which is home to a four-star boutique hotel resort.

He had to have his leg amputated after being admitted to an intensive care unit at ADK Hospital in Male, the densely-populated capital of the Maldives.

Police in the Maldives confirmed they had launched an investigation after Borja’s wife lodged a formal complaint accusing the organisers of the marine excursion of negligence.

The injured holidaymaker chose yesterday, a month after he married his long-term partner, to speak his first words since the horror incident and post the first photo of him since the horror incident which made headlines around the world.

In an emotional message alongside snaps of their wedding and the one of him recovering in hospital alongside Ana, Borja said: “Who would have told us that life would put us to the test so soon, barely a month after we said those words before God and before the most important people in our lives.

“On April 28 we celebrated our first month of marriage.

“And what can I say to you… we started strong, didn’t we?

“On April 11, we faced probably the cruelest and most savage episode of our lives. But not for a single moment did we stop trusting that it would just be a stone in the road; that, no matter what happened, we would find a way to move forward. And we did.

“Because there are moments that change you forever. Moments in which you understand how fragile life is, but also the strength one can draw when everything seems to be falling apart.

“If there’s one thing I’m sure of after all this, it’s that there was no better person to go through that storm with.

“All the hands that came together, all the messages and every prayer that was said for me, I’m sure they reached heaven via the fast route and, in some way, brought me back.

“I can’t wait to return to Spain, to laugh until it hurts, to cry with emotion, to hug tightly and to kiss our loved ones as if time had stood still.

“After everything, you realize that there is nothing more valuable than coming home and feeling the love of those who never let go of us.”

One friend responded by writing: “How I long to laugh until it hurts with you, to cry from emotion together, and to give you those very, very tight hugs that we’re so looking forward to giving you ❤️

“And thank you for those incredible and unforgettable moments that we will very soon relive ❤️ I love you.”

Another wrote: “I hug you tightly and I really want to give it to you in person. Stay strong and hopefully you’ll be home soon. ❤️ We will pray that it happens as soon as possible 🙏🏻”

A member of Ana’s family, who flew out to the Maldives to comfort her, said after the attack: “With one bite, the shark took all the flesh from the knee down off her husband’s leg.”

Borja’s limb was amputated according to medics due to “irreparable damage” caused by the rupture of the main blood vessels and prolonged lack of blood flow.

Local reports at the time claimed the Kooddoo facility had not dumped fish waste for around a week, with one source quoted as saying: “The sharks were likely in a heightened state of hunger and anticipation.

“When the group jumped in, the entry itself may have triggered a predatory response.”

The Spanish holidaymaker was initially taken to the Ga. Atoll Hospital before being airlifted to the hospital in Male where he is still believed to be being treated.

Staff at the Maldives hotel where Borja was staying with his wife, the Residence Maldives on the nearby island of Falhumaafushi in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, described the attack as horrible.

The area where the attack happened is famous for large schools of Spinner sharks.

But subsequent Spanish reports identified the attack shark as a tiger shark, one of the most dangerous species which have teeth that can slice through flesh, bones and other tough substances such as turtle shells.

They have a reputation for eating almost anything and are said to be responsible for a large share of fatal shark-bite incidents.

Colleagues at Dr Balmis University General Hospital in Alicante, where Borja qualified as a gynaecologist last year and continued to work, praised him as a “consummate professional” in the aftermath of the shark attack.

One said: “Staff at the hospital and especially those who knew him are in a state of shock.

“Borja was always very professional, very diligent and very polite.

“When we found out it was Borja we couldn’t believe it. For something like this to happen on your honeymoon when you’re supposed to be enjoying the happiest moments of your life is so awful and unusual. It’s obviously going to change his life.

“The reports coming out of the Maldives are that his condition is improving slightly and we’re just praying they’re accurate and Borja can return to Spain as soon as possible and he can get all the medical and psychological help he needs to be able to overcome this.”

A former colleague at Mutxamel Benifutsal Sports Club, where Borja used to play five-a-side indoor soccer at semi-professional level, said immediately after the incident: “I heard the news from a mutual friend and it was like I’d been hit by a bolt of lightning.

“I still feel devastated. Ana and Borja had been dating for years before they got married.

“He’s a good footballer and is on good terms with a lot of the players here still, although he left around 2022 and went on to play for another third-division futsal side he was still at when he left for the Maldives.

“We’re talking semi-professional at this level, with training sessions up to four times a week and sometimes two games every week.

“This is obviously going to have a life-changing impact for Borja. I just hope he pulls through.”