David Lilienfeld, Championship Bodyboarder, Killed By Great White Shark, Was Chumming To Blame?

By IBTimes Staff Reporter: Subscribe to IBTimes's

April 20, 2012 1:13 PM EDT

South African championship bodyboarder David Lilienfeld was killed by a great white shark measuring anymore between 13 and 16 feet long Thursday in Kogel Bay near Cape Town.

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The great white shark bit off Lilienfeld's right leg while he was in the water with his brother and friends, reported CNN.

Lucille Bester, a witness to the attack, told the Independent Online that she had seen the shark about 20 to 30 yards from where Lilienfeld and his friends were.

"We started screaming from the top that there was a shark. Being from Joburg, we didn't know how to get down the mountain. But they could not hear us," she said to the Independent Online.

"The shark disappeared, but the next thing we saw the shark come from under one of the guys and grab him. The shark shook him and then let him go. The surfer was screaming -- it was terrible!"

"Then it took him again. And that was it. It took him under. The first time it took him, there wasn't any blood. But the second time there was," said Bester.

Mat Marais said Lilienfeld tried to fight the shark off with his board.

"It killed him on the third attempt. It bit his leg clean off," said Marais to The Cape Times.

His right leg was bitten off to the hip. He had no other injuries.

Andre Visser, a worker from the ambulance service ER24, said paramedics saw Lilienfeld's leg floating in the water with the surfboard cord still attached. They were unable to recover the leg, reported the Telegraph.

Gustav, Lilienfeld's younger brother, got the body on the board and brought it back to shore.. Bystanders at the shore could not get the body on the shore while the shark circled in the shallow water. Only after the shark left could they haul the body up. Gustav was not injured in the attack.

The 20-year-old champion bodyboarder died at the scene. Maris believes Lilienfeld bleed out.

Paramedics arrived 10 minutes after the incident occurred but they could not save him.

Lilienfeld's father, Dirk told media at the scene that "David was a Springbok bodyboarder. This was his life and he died doing what he loved."

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