Woman Killed by Shark Amid Uptick of Attacks in Popular Tourist Destination

A woman was killed by a shark attack while paddle boarding in the Bahamas on Monday, marking the second apparent shark attack in the archipelago in less than two weeks.

According to witnesses, the unnamed 44-year-old Boston woman was a newlywed, and she had been paddle boarding next to her husband about three-quarters of a mile from New Providence island off Nassau around 11:15 a.m. when the shark suddenly bit her. A Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort lifeguard witnessed the attack from shore and rushed out to rescue the pair in a boat.

CPR was administered to the woman when they got back to shore. But unfortunately, the woman’s injuries were too serious and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

“CPR was administered to the victim. However, she suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body, including the right hip region and also her right upper limb,” police told reporters.

The incident follows the disappearance of a 47-year-old German woman after encountering a shark during a dive off West End, Grand Bahama on Nov. 21. Likewise, a 58-year-old Pennsylvania woman died in a shark attack in September 2022 also while snorkeling with her family off the coast of New Providence.

Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, told the Associated Press that the “huge” tourist population in the Bahamas has contributed to the uptick in attacks.

“The sharks get acclimated, and the animals are a little bit less cautious than they otherwise might be,” Naylor explained. “Usually, it’s an accidental bite. They think it’s something else. Once in a while, they’ll actually single out people, and it’s very intentional.”