The 25-Year-Old Investment Analyst’s Boyfriend Fought the Bull Shark Bare-Handed – But One Final Gesture in Her Last Moments Has Left Everyone in Tears

 “She was beautiful, talented, and passionate about running” – those were the words of her devastated boyfriend, Lukas Schindler, as friends and family spoke out about the “vibrant” life of 25-year-old Swiss investment analyst Livia Mulheim, killed in a horrific bull shark attack off Kylies Beach in New South Wales. The tragedy, which unfolded Thursday morning during a romantic coastal road trip, has shattered the couple’s dreams of starting a new life in Australia, with Lukas – who fought the 3-meter predator bare-handed to save her – now facing a lifetime of physical and emotional scars. But in a revelation that’s left everyone in tears, friends have disclosed yet another heartbreaking detail: Livia’s final words to Lukas, whispered as blood filled the water, were a promise of forever.

Livia, a Zurich native and recent graduate of the University of St. Gallen with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, had arrived in Australia in August with Lukas, 26, a newly qualified diving instructor and marathon runner. The couple, who met during university and shared a love for adventure, were on a “dream road trip” along the Mid North Coast, planning to settle in Sydney after Lukas completed his PADI certification. “Livia was full of life – she’d run 10K every morning, no matter the weather,” her best friend from Swim Regio Solothurn, Anna Keller, told 7News. “She was a synchronized swimmer as a kid, then judged competitions. Water was her joy – never her enemy.”

The attack happened at 6:30 a.m. at the secluded Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park, an unpatrolled stretch 30km south of Port Macquarie. The pair, filming a pod of dolphins with a GoPro for Livia’s social media, had anchored their rented tinnie 50 meters offshore. “We were laughing, spotting dolphins – it was perfect,” Lukas recounted from his hospital bed at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where he’s recovering from two leg bites. “Then I saw the fin. It was massive, coming fast. Livia screamed my name – ‘Lukas!’ – and I dove in without thinking.”

The GoPro footage, recovered by NSW Police divers and reviewed frame by frame, reveals the horror in stark detail: the bull shark, an apex predator known for its aggression in murky waters, surges from below, clamping onto Livia’s left arm and torso in a single, devastating strike. Blood clouds the frame as Lukas punches its gills and stabs with a dive knife, prying at the jaws for 42 agonizing seconds. “She looked at me, eyes full of love, and whispered, ‘I love you – live for us,’” Lukas said, tears streaming. Those final words – a promise amid the pain – have broken hearts worldwide, with friends revealing Livia’s lifelong motto: “Love fiercely, live fully.” She died on the beach before paramedics arrived; Lukas, airlifted with severe lacerations, faces potential mobility loss but vows, “Her spirit runs in me now.”

Livia, an investment associate at Bellecapital in Zurich, was on a career break to explore Australia with Lukas, who ran the Sydney Marathon in August. “She was passionate about finance and the ocean – dreamed of a life here,” colleague Elena Rossi said. Swim Regio Solothurn, her childhood club, posted: “Livia judged with grace and swam with joy – her light touched us all.”

The attack, Australia’s 19th this year (7 fatal), has reignited beach safety debates. Bull sharks, driven shoreward by warming waters, prompted drumline deployment and beach closures. “Climate change is pushing predators closer,” Dr. Hamish Jolly of the Australian Institute of Marine Science said. Lukas’s warning: “The ocean’s changing – respect it, or lose everything.”

As repatriation plans proceed, Livia’s final gesture endures: a love that fought the deep, unyielding even in death.