Lukas Schindler, the 26-year-old Swiss scuba instructor who miraculously survived the horrific bull shark attack that claimed his fiancée Livia Muhlheim’s life on November 27, 2025, has finally broken his silence from a hospital bed in Newcastle, detailing the “11 minutes of hell” that unfolded in the turquoise waters off Kylie’s Beach. Waking from an induced coma on December 10 after weeks of grueling surgeries, Schindler—his voice hoarse but resolute—recounted the blood-soaked chaos to 9News Australia, leaving the nation reeling and experts stunned. “I screamed ‘Livia! Hold on!’ into the red foam, but she was already slipping away,” he whispered, tears streaming as he relived the moment that shattered their dream backpacking holiday. The GoPro footage recovered from the seabed has provided a visceral window into those frantic minutes, but Schindler’s testimony paints an even more harrowing picture of survival against a 3-meter predator—and the devastating loss that followed.

The attack struck at 6:28 a.m. as the couple snorkeled in 15 feet of crystal-clear water, filming playful dolphins near Crowdy Head National Park. Schindler, a certified instructor from Zurich, and Muhlheim, 25, were celebrating their first anniversary when the bull shark surged from the depths, its jaws clamping onto Livia’s right arm in a crimson explosion. “I saw the shadow first—huge, like a submarine,” Schindler said, his leg still bandaged from 40 stitches. The GoPro, strapped to Livia’s chest, captured 47 seconds of horror: her muffled screams, Schindler’s fists pummeling the shark’s gills, and him dragging her thrashing form 52 meters to shore through a sea of blood. “Those 11 minutes felt like eternity,” he recounted. “I held her tourniquet with one hand, paddled with the other, screaming her name. Bystanders used a dog’s leash for mine—I was losing so much blood.”

Medical experts are calling Schindler’s survival a “medical miracle.” His laceration—a 30cm gash severing the femoral artery—caused 40% blood loss, with surgeons at John Peter Smith Hospital reconstructing the vessel using vein grafts from his calf. “He should have lost consciousness in 3 minutes,” trauma surgeon Dr. Elena Vasquez told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Adrenaline and sheer will kept him fighting.” Livia, however, suffered catastrophic injuries: the shark’s bite severed her arm and lacerated her torso, causing fatal blood loss despite 30 minutes of CPR on the beach. Pronounced dead at 6:52 a.m., her final words—”Lukas, it hurts”—echo from the recovered audio.

The nation is still processing the tragedy, Australia’s fifth fatal shark attack of 2025. GoFundMe for Livia’s family has raised $150,000, with Schindler posting from his bed: “She was my everything—her light lives in me.” Swiss officials are repatriating her body, while NSW Police probe if baitfish schools or chumming drew the bull shark. Marine biologist Dr. Kate Lee: “This was aggressive hunting, not chance.”

Schindler’s account, shared amid recovery, honors Livia: “Those minutes were our forever—fighting together till the end.” As he faces rehab and grief, his words heal a stunned world. Australia’s hearts break; Lukas’s endures—for her.