Lukas Schindler and Livia Muhlheim had been filming dolphins when they were both attacked by a shark at a NSW beach

Lukas Schindler being treated after a shark attack.Credit : 

9 News Australia/YouTube

A young woman has died in a shark attack after her boyfriend risked his life to rescue her.

On Thursday, Nov. 27, Lukas Schindler, 26, and his girlfriend Livia Muhlheim, 25, were swimming near the remote Kylies Beach in New South Wales, Australia. Around 6:30 a.m., emergency services were called following reports that the couple — who were visiting from Switzerland — had been bitten by a 9-foot bull shark, according to NSW Police.

Muhlheim was using a GoPro to film a pod of dolphins moments before she was attacked. Schindler reportedly tried to fight off the shark when he suffered severe bites to his leg.

Livia Muhlheim

Livia Muhlheim.Livia Muhlheim/Linkedin

Following the attack, police say Schindler was able to carry Muhlheim and swim her to shore where bystanders called for paramedics.

Authorities are praising the witnesses for their quick thinking as they tied a makeshift tourniquet around Schindler’s injured leg.

“The courage from some bystanders is amazing in this situation,” said NSW Ambulance superintendent Josh Smyth, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. “Very heroic, and [it] obviously did give us time to get to that male patient.”

Schindler sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where he remains in serious but stable condition. However, Muhlheim reportedly died on the scene.

Local officials are reviewing the couple’s GoPro footage but it is unclear if the attack was captured on camera.

According to NSW Police, the beach remains closed.

“This area is so remote, there’s no life-guarding services up there at all,” Steven Pearce, chief executive of Surf Life Saving NSW, told the outlet. “These incidents are horrific for everyone and, unfortunately, we’ve had a few this year already.”