Two American tourists were mauled in a shark attack while swimming at a Bahamas resort.
According to Daily Mail, the tourists in question were both women, and were injured, but did survive. The women were swimming off Bimini Bay on Friday evening when they were attacked. One of the women reportedly suffered serious injuries. Both of the women were airlifted to a nearby island called New Providence, where they received more advanced medical care.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force has since launched investigations into the attack. In a statement, the force mentioned that those investigations were ongoing, but did not give an update on the condition of either victim.
Notably, dozens of shark attacks have been recorded in the Bahamas over the years. In December 2023, a female tourist from Boston was killed by a shark, while paddle boarding in the Bahamas. That woman was only 44 years-old and was attacked off the coast of New Providence island. While it was not clear what kind of shark had attacked that woman, it was a vicious enough attack that the victim was declared dead on the scene.
Interestingly, between 30 and 40 different shark species live around the Bahamas. Experts say that of those species, the bull shark, Caribbean reef shark, tiger shark, and black tip shark are those with the highest bite frequencies. Often, sharks bite humans "accidentally." Apparently, the sharks assume the victims are actually something else - not human, which results in the incident. In the Bahamas, the high volume of tourists makes shark attacks more prevalent. The sharks become accustomed to having large numbers of people in the water and become less cautious than they otherwise would be.
Two Americans Suffer Injuries After Shark Attacks Them In Bahamas
Shark attacks are not entirely uncommon. Last year, there were 69 reported unprovoked shark attacks across the globe. That number is above the five-year average. It is also worth mentioning that 14 of those attacks were confirmed to have been fatal.
Across the globe, swimmers and waders made up 43 percent of shark attack victims in 2022. Boarders, be they paddle or otherwise, made up an additional 35 percent of victims in the same year.
