A Sydney tourist who died after being attacked by a shark at a busy beach on the French Pacific island of New Caledonia has been identified.
Sydney software engineer Chris Davis was swimming close to a pontoon — just 150 metres from Chateau-Royal beach in New Caledonia's capital Noumea — on Sunday, when a shark bit him several times.
Mr Davis was helped to shore but died, despite efforts by witnesses to resuscitate him.
In a statement to media, the 59-year-old's family said they were grieving the loss of the father of three.
"We are deeply mourning the loss of our beloved husband and father, Chris Davis," the family said.
"He is survived by his wife and three adult sons, who express their sincere gratitude to the New Caledonian authorities for the efforts in treating him and to the Australian and New Caledonian governments for aiding his return to Australia."
They said Mr Davis was keen triathlete who had represented Australia several times.
"We thank the media and the public during this difficult time for respecting the privacy of the family."
The beach has remained closed since the attack.
Noumea's mayor, Sonia Lagarde, ordered the capture of tiger sharks and bull sharks in nearby waters.
New Caledonia lies south of Vanuatu and 1,200 kilometres east of Australia.
It ranks 13th in the world for the number of shark attacks, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
