A newlywed woman on her honeymoon in the Bahamas was killed by a large shark while paddling in the water near the five-star resort where she was staying.
The 44-year-old American woman was in the water with her new husband about three-quarters of the way off the Shoes Royal Bahamian Resort on the island of New Providence when the attack occurred on Monday. The couple got married the day before.
A jet ski operator who was on the beach at the time said he saw a shark about 14ft long pulling the paddleboard underwater.
“When I saw that it was just the man standing on the board, I said (to myself), he must have fallen. “Then you could actually hear faint sounds of him screaming for help,” the jet ski operator told The Nassau Guardian, a local newspaper.
“It was crazy because I watched them walk off the beach. Them [were] side by side, laughing and talking. “They just got married yesterday.”
A lifeguard who witnessed the attack set out in a rescue boat to save the victim and her husband. Witnesses said there was blood on the paddle board and the shark was swimming around it.
“The victim performed CPR, but suffered serious injuries to the right side of his body, including the right hip area and right upper extremity,” said Sergeant Desiree Ferguson of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Sandals resort said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of one of our guests while engaged in paddleboarding approximately one mile from shore.”
While fatal shark attacks are highly unusual, there have been other attacks in the Bahamas in recent years.
Last month, a 47-year-old German woman was lost in a shark attack during a diving trip off the island of Grand Bahama. He was reportedly attacked by a tiger shark in the area known as Tiger Beach.
In September last year, a 58-year-old American woman was killed while snorkeling near Green Cay. Eyewitnesses said they thought the attack was carried out by a bull shark, one of the most dangerous species along with tiger sharks and great whites.
The attack took place just a half-mile away from where 21-year-old California woman Jordan Lindsey was killed by a shark in 2019.
In August last year, an eight-year-old British boy was attacked by sharks and suffered injuries that required a three-hour operation. Finley Downer, from Kettering, Northants, was bitten on both legs by nurse sharks. The species is normally considered docile, but they can grow up to 14ft in length and occasionally attack.
‘It’s a matter of probability’
The odds of being killed by a shark in the Bahamas or anywhere else are very small: about one in four million.
According to the International Shark Attack File, there were nine fatal attacks worldwide in 2021, 10 in 2020, two in 2019 and four in 2018. Most of the deadly attacks occur in the United States and Australia.
ISAF argues that the number of shark attacks is increasing as the global population increases and more people spend time in the water.
Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File, said the fact that three fatal shark attacks occurred in the Bahamas last year cannot be considered statistically significant. “We’ve had two deaths in two weeks, which always raises suspicion. But until we see more of a trend, I don’t think it’s a concern. “If we had seen another one or two in the same area, we would have investigated.”
More than eight million tourists visited the Bahamas this year, surpassing the previous record of 7.2 million in 2019. The country’s crystal clear waters are home to several species of sharks, including tiger sharks, bull sharks, reef sharks, hammerheads and oceanic sharks. whitetip sharks.
“There are a lot of sharks in the Bahamas and a lot of people going into the water. It’s a matter of probability,” said Prof Naylor.
‘Defend aggressively’
One factor that may contribute to the likelihood of an attack is that tour operators release “friendly” or pureed fish blood and bones into the water to attract sharks for visitors to observe. “If you put food in water, it’s like ringing the dinner bell. Pavlovian. This makes them braver,” says Prof Naylor.
Climate change may also have an impact. “Climate change will cause sharks’ food sources to move, and if the food moves closer to shore, of course the sharks will follow.”
Experts say if a shark is about to attack, the best strategy is to hit it on the nose, preferably with a pole or spear. “If you don’t have anything to poke with, use your hand, but remember the mouth is close to your nose, so be careful,” the ISAF website says.
If the worst happens and a shark attack occurs, all-out aggression is the only option. “If a shark actually gets you in its mouth, we recommend defending as aggressively as possible. Beat the shark in every way possible. Try scratching the eyes and gill openings, which are two very sensitive areas.”