A quiet swim at Cannes' Plage du Midi turned bloody for 92 year old Raymond on July 30, in the latest of a string of fish bite incidents reported along Côte d'Azur beaches this summer.
Raymond had been in the water around twenty minutes when he felt two sharp bites, one on each leg, as he prepared to head back to shore. "When I got out of the water, I saw blood everywhere," he told Nice-Matin, describing the shock more than any real panic. The same day, two teenagers were bitten at Villefranche-sur-Mer, following an earlier incident on June 16 that left a 73 year old injured at Juan-les-Pins.
The culprit, identified on several occasions along Mediterranean beaches this season, is the grey triggerfish, a species known to nip at swimmers' legs and feet, particularly when curious or defending territory. Beachgoers are advised to keep moving in the water rather than staying still, avoid feeding fish or bringing food into the sea, and consider neoprene water shoes for added protection.