Shark attack victim and injured boyfriend identified

A Swiss couple spent the past several months travelling around Australia before they were involved in a horror shark attack on Thursday morning.

A Swiss couple spent the last several months travelling around Australia, visiting beaches and coastal towns in NSW and WA before they were involved in a horror shark attack on Thursday morning.

Lukas Schindler, 26, and his girlfriend Livia Muhlheim, 25, were swimming at Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park, 300km north of Sydney, when they were attacked by a 3m bull shark.

The shark first set upon Ms Muhlheim, who suffered catastrophic injuries to much of her body. Mr Schindler was mauled next, with the shark attacking his leg as he tried to save his girlfriend.

Shark survivor Lukas Schindler. suffered life-threatening injuries to his leg while desperately fending off the shark that mauled his partner.

Dragging his dying girlfriend 50m back to shore, the backpacker then flagged down a bystander for help, but by the time she reached the wounded pair, the woman, also in her 20s, had succumbed to her injuries.

The passer-by, a woman in her 40s, saved the man’s life by calling triple-0 for help, where she was coached through using her swimsuit to make a tourniquet around the man’s thigh and stem his bleeding.

Livia Muhlheim was tragically killed in the attack. Picture: LinkedIn

Mr Schindler was stabilised on the sand and flown by a Westpac rescue helicopter to John Hunter Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Just days earlier, the couple were in Noosa, raving on social media about the “incredibly memorable” bed and breakfast they stayed in together after spending a few days camping.

In a tragic twist, the couple also visited a popular beach located deep in the Wallarah National Park in Lake Macquarie called “Shark Hole” describing it as a “magical place”.

Mr Schindler was in Australia on an “exchange semester” studying a Master of Arts at the University of Technology.

Shark survivor Lukas Schindler suffered life-threatening injuries. Image: Instagram

Ms Muhlheim had recently gained an accounting and finance role at a Swiss investment fund.

On Linkedin, the company praised her as a “former synchronized swimmer, a passionate runner and a valuable addition to our team.”

She and her boyfriend studied together at university, and three years ago celebrated the end of their studies.

“We did it,” she wrote.

“I am so proud of all of you.”

It’s understood the couple spent a lot of time in Bondi while in Australia, where they became well acquainted with the ocean.

Mr Schindler undertook a diving course with Dive Course Bondi, describing the experience as “top notch”, and eventually became an instructor.

Kylies Beach at Crowdy Bay remains closed after yesterday’s fatal shark attack. Picture Thomas Lisson

“I had an amazing time,” he wrote online.

In a picture he uploaded from during the course, an illustration had been drawn on a whiteboard, showing he, and two other students riding a shark after completing the course.

The 26-year-old also ran the Sydney Marathon while in Sydney, posing at the finish line with his medal, after registering as a Swiss runner.

He was a First Lieutenant in the Swiss Armed Forces between 2019 and 2020, before he began working for the World Economic Forum.

Originally published as Shark attack victim and injured boyfriend identified