I watched a shark maul my husband to death while snorkelling in Red Sea swimming 'safe zone' - all the Egyptian lifeguard did was blow a whistle
By SABRINA PENTY
Published: 06:17 EDT, 11 March 2025 | Updated: 06:35 EDT, 11 March 2025
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Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, from Rome, had been snorkeling at a beach located in front of the glamorous Red Sea Sataya Resort on the coast of Marsa Alam, before the attack on December 22.
The tourist, who worked at the European External Action Service, the diplomatic service of the European Union, was in the sea alongside his friend Giuseppe Fappani, 69, as they celebrated Di Gioia's recent birthday.
But the trip took a horrific turn when the pair were approached by a tiger shark in the Egyptian waters, while they swam just 160 feet from the beach in an area where the resort's jetty allows tourists to access beyond the coral reef.
Fappani made it back to shore, but Di Gioia ended up in the predator's jaws, later dying from his injuries.
Now, Di Gioia's wife has spoken out for the first time about how the tragedy unfolded.
Speaking to Italian news outlet Corriere Della Sera, Di Gioia's wife Laurence spoke about how her husband had been swimming in the 'so-called safe zone' when the shark appeared.
The wife of an Italian tourist who was mauled to death by a shark in Egypt last year has broken her silence. Pictured: Laurence Di Gioia and her husband Gianluca, who died in December
Laurence says her husband had been swimming in the 'safe zone' when the attack unfolded
Deadly shark attacks are a near-yearly occurrence in Egypt's Red Sea
'No one had warned us of a possible danger', she said.
Laurence also recalled the moment she saw the shark approaching her husband before unleashing its deadly attack.
'We were snorkeling when I saw the shark. It was less than two metres (seven ft) away and headed straight for Gianluca. I started screaming, I told it to move away, but in an instant it attacked him.
'When I finally reached the pier, the only thing the lifeguard did was blow a whistle. I still have that useless whistle in my head and I will never forget it.'
The devastated widow also spoke of the 'exasperating slowness' of rescue services who tended to her husband.
'There were two rubber dinghies tied up, but they couldn't find the keys. And when they finally succeeded and brought Gianluca back to the pier, they lost another ten minutes before a little car arrived that took him to a medical center'.
Laurence explained that the only person who tried to save her husband was their friend Giuseppe.
The tragic incident took place at a beach in front of the Sataya Resort - one of the most glamorous on the coast of Marsa Alam, on the Red Sea
Gianluca Di Gioia, the victim of a shark attack in Marsa Alam on the Red Sea, has an EU diplomat celebrating his birthday with family and friends at the Egyptian resort
Di Gioia was in the sea alongside his friend Giuseppe Fappani, 69, pictured left
Di Gioia had been swimming just 50metres from the beach in an area where the resort's jetty allows tourists to access beyond the coral reef
'He was in the water and didn't hesitate for a moment', she recalled. 'He gave it his all.'
'We will never stop thanking him for his gesture'.
Laurence revealed that her 10 year-old-son was also at the resort at the time of the attack, as well as her in-laws.
'It was supposed to be a great joy, it turned into a terrible tragedy'.
Egyptian authorities opened an investigation into the 'anomalous' incident, with the while the Ministry of the Environment and the Red Sea Governorate began a series of investigations to reconstruct what happened.
The attack - according to The Quasir Prosecutor's Office - occurred 'in deep waters outside the bathing area', that is, beyond the coral reef, which should prevent or at least make it more difficult for sharks to access the area near the beach.
But Laurence said that the family has not been updated on any developments.
'We know nothing. No one from Egypt has let us know if there are any developments'.
'What we want now is for justice to be done for Gianluca's memory', she said.
'[He] was a very prudent person. A great traveler, a citizen of the world, respectful of rules and nature. In hindsight, the only imprudence was choosing a vacation spot that wasn't organized and equipped to deal with emergencies.'
Di Gioia was originally from Rome, but had been living in France where he worked for the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the EU for twelve years.
He had arrived in Marsa Alam on December 11 to celebrate his birthday - December 21 - with his wife and several family members and friends.
According to local reports, he had been planning to stay in Egypt until the New Year before the attack.
The Red Sea is a major tourist destination whose marine life make it popular with divers and Marsa Alam is an Egyptian coastal town known for its coral reefs and beaches.
Deadly shark attacks are a near-yearly occurrence in Egypt's Red Sea, where marine experts warn unregulated construction, overfishing, and irresponsible tourism practices contribute to changing the ecosystem and shark behaviour.
There have been four fatal shark attacks in the Red Sea over the last 10 years, according to data collected by the Shark Research Institute, cited by the BBC.
The last similar incident was in June 2023 when a tiger shark killed a 23-year-old Russian national in Hurghada, another coastal city on the Red Sea north of Marsa Alam.
Vladimir Popov, 23, was circled by the 'meat grinder' tiger shark before he was dragged underwater, as he screamed out: 'Papa, save me!'
Holidaymakers scrambled from the water as horrified onlookers called out to Vladimir to swim away from the shark before he was mauled to death.
The tiger shark was then caught and dragged to land by boat before it was clubbed to death on the beach 'in revenge'.
Four people also died when a boat capsized in a separate incident in November. The vessel hit trouble near Marsa Alam as it ferried tourists on a diving trip.
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