A shark attacked and killed a Boston newlywed off the coast of the Bahamas on Monday, according to authorities and reports.
Local police said the woman, 44, was bitten by a shark at about 11.15am in New Providence. The woman was paddleboarding with a man at the time of the attack, presumed to be her husband.
A lifeguard on the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort beach saw the shark attack and leapt into the water to save the man and woman in distress. The lifeguard brought the pair back to the beach in a boat and attempted to administer CPR.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her identity wasn’t released. But various local reports said witnesses described the woman as having just gotten married and the man paddleboarding with her as her groom.
Police did not immediately say whether the man and woman were newlyweds. In a news conference, local police spokesperson sergeant Desiree Ferguson only said: “We extend our heartfelt condolences … for this most unfortunate situation.”
Details about the type of shark that killed the woman had not yet been confirmed.
Shark attacks are extremely rare, particularly in the Bahamas. However, in a separate attack on Monday, a woman was reportedly killed by a shark at a beach resort on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Monday’s death in the Bahamas also marked the second shark attack there in less than two weeks.
On 21 November, a German woman, 47, went missing near West End, Grand Bahama, after coming into contact with a shark during a dive. She is feared dead.
There were 57 unprovoked shark bites across the world in 2022, with Florida taking the lead.
Sixteen shark bites occurred in Florida, which resulted in two amputations but no deaths. Most other shark attacks were in the rest of the US and Australia, according to the University of Florida’s international shark attack file.
Only one person, a female snorkler in Hawaii, died from a shark attack in the US.
Still, shark attacks have declined worldwide. Only five attacks were fatal in 2022, compared to nine the previous year.
The director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, Gavin Naylor, said a reason for the decline could be the reduced shark population in the world’s oceans and additional safeguards on beaches.
“It’s likely that fatalities are down because some areas have recently implemented rigorous beach safety protocols, especially in Australia,” Naylor said.
Naylor said sharks often mistake humans for their intended prey, especially when there is a high density of fish and low visibility.
“Changing the environment such that sharks are drawn to the area in search of their natural food source might prompt them to bite humans when they otherwise wouldn’t,” Naylor remarked.
