SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—A female tourist from Boston was killed by a shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas on Monday, according to authorities.
The unidentified victim was assaulted less than a mile off the western end of New Providence island, where Nassau, the capital, is located. According to Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson, she was paddleboarding with a male who was not hurt.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences…for this most unfortunate situation,” she said.
According to police, a lifeguard rescued both persons with a boat after seeing the incident, but the lady received major injuries to the right side of her body and was pronounced dead at the site despite CPR efforts.
The species of shark that attacked the lady was not immediately evident. A message seeking response from a police supervisor was not immediately returned.
According to Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, there have been two shark-related fatalities reported in the Bahamas in the last five years.
He stated that the Bahamas has a "huge" tourist population, adding that there are many people in the sea and visitors who wish to see sharks from a fishing boat or dive with them.
“So the sharks get acclimated, and the animals are a little bit less cautious than they otherwise might be,” he said.
Between 30 to 40 shark species live around the Bahamas, although the Caribbean reef shark, the bull shark, the tiger shark and the black tip shark have the highest bite frequency, Naylor said.
“Usually, it’s an accidental bite. They think it’s something else,” he said. “Once in a while, they’ll actually single out people, and it’s very intentional.”
Shark attacks are uncommon, with about five to six reported globally each year, the most of which occur in Australia, according to Naylor. According to the International Shark Attack File, there were 57 unprovoked bites worldwide last year, with the bulk occurring in the United States.
According to the file, at least 33 verified unprovoked shark attacks have occurred in the Bahamas since 1580, with the island ranked eighth worldwide.
According to the Nassau Guardian, officials in the Bahamas are still looking for a German lady who went missing late last month after being attacked while diving.
A shark killed a Pennsylvania cruise ship guest swimming in the northern Bahamas near Green Cay last year.
The Bahamas are the site of the majority of shark attacks in the Caribbean, while a rare shark attack was recorded three years ago in the French Caribbean province of St. Martin.
