Gemma Redmond recounts with horror before an enquiry commission her experience that turned her honeymoon trip to the beautiful island of Seychelles into a forever trauma.

Gemma, 28, is a primary school teacher and widow. Her marriage in August 2011 lasted for only 10 days after she was tragically separated from her husband Ian by a whale of sharks at Anse Lazio beach in Praslin Island in the Seychelles.

Gemma’s husband Ian used to dote on snorkeling and was on the lookout for a suitable spot. The Anse Lazio beach seemed to have a perfect setting for adventure sports and Ian wasted no time in hitting the waters, leaving Gemma behind with a book and, as things would unfold shortly, a world of irretrievable memories.

About 20 metres into the shallow waters at the Lazio beach, Ian gave off a distress signal to the people nearby him, indicating that he was in great pain. Gemma quickly became alert to the commotion and found to her shock that it was Ian who was in trouble amidst a thickly populated area in the waters. She frantically waved hands to get the attention of two catamarans who rushed to the spot where Ian was pinned down by some unseen force.

“It was then that I realised that Ian had suffered some very, very serious injuries”, Gemma recollected, telling the court officials that he succumbed to his injury upon arrival to hospital.

Acting high commissioner for the Seychelles Bernard Silver told the inquest that the tragic accident was a one-off case of freak shark attacks that don’t usually ring the alarm.

However, Mr Silver also assured that the tourism department is well aware of the possibilities of a repeat shark attack and will do anything to make sure nobody else suffers the same tragic fate as the newly-wed couple did.

Still not out of the nightmare, the 28-year-old woman briefly unveiled her unemotional side asking the tourists not to back down from visiting the Seychelles.

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