The Canadian woman, named locally as Nathalie Ross, 55, was attacked in shallow waters off Thompson’s Cove Beach on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean at around 10.30am on February 7.

It’s believed her husband attempted to fight the shark off, before she was brought to shore.

Photos show Ms Ross lying on the beach as her husband and others try to stop the bleeding.

Magnetic Media reports the woman lost both her hands and was also bitten on her thigh.

She was airlifted to hospital and is expected to survive.

“The shark was estimated to be approximately 6ft in length, however the species is yet to be confirmed,” the Turks & Caicos Islands Government said in a statement, reports Miami Herald.

“It has been determined that the tourist had attempted to engage with the animal from the shallows in an attempt to take photographs.”

Thompson’s Cove Beach is in the Blue Hills settlement, on the north side of Providenciales, the nation’s main island.

Government officials closed the beach until midday February 9, after it was determined the shark had moved to deeper water.

Footage has since been shared of a shark thrashing about in the water near where the attack happened.