An American tourist lost her leg to a shark attack in Belize.
Annabelle Carlson, 15, was diving Aug. 6 between Half Moon Caye and Hot Caye with Belize Dive Pro. Around 11:30 a.m., all divers were back on board their boat when Carlson jumped or was pushed into the water and attacked by a shark.
She was removed from the water, but sustained sever injury to her right thigh. She was taken to the Coast Guard FOB until an Astrum helicopter arrived that airlifted to Belize Medical Associates.
Last reports indicate her leg was not savable and was most likely amputated near the knee.
“One of the most important things I want to share right now is that we are being informed that the victim is okay, is alive, made it,” Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy said at a news conference.
“What is the magnitude of the damage, we don’t know as yet, but it’s certainly an unfortunate situation. We’re very saddened about it, but I want to highlight that this is something that is very rare and I don’t think this is a time to say, well, you know, we don’t want to go swimming again or something. There must be some other reason why that happened, but it’s too early to say right now.”
Perez also mentioned his displeasure with the sharing that the sharing of graphic injury photos
“I think the only part that I must call out and condemn it in the strongest of terms, is the way certain members of the media handled it. I’m not accusing everyone but I think that the responsibility of the media is very important because we’re talking about a family that’s hurt right now, and you don’t want to add any more injury to them. I think that’s a disservice.”
Belize is a divers dream destination with beautiful clear waters and spectacular dive sites featuring amazing varieties of marine life.
Based on limited information, the shark attack could have been caused by Carson landing on or near a shark as she jumped in or her splash could have attracted the shark. Some dive operators have been known to throw fish or other food overboard after a dive to attract sharks for visitors.
Another tourist was bitten on the hand while on a nurse shark encounter in Belize.
Chad Barker was bitten by a nurse shark while on a shark encounter in 2012.
The approximate location of the Carlson shark attack has been marked on the 2024 Shark Attack Map.
Belize Dive Pro is a 5 star PADI resort and does not appear to offer any shark dives. A request for comment sent to the center was not replied to at time of publishing.
