Loved ones are recovering after losing family members in three separate fatal shark attacks, two in the Bahamas, one in Mexico.
The first incident occurred at the famous Tiger Beach, a small, shallow sand flat where tiger sharks gather, located about 20 miles off Grand Bahama’s West End.
A German tourist was on an excursion Nov. 21 visiting the Tiger Beach area. Around 10:30 a.m. the 47-year-old woman briefly surfaced before disappearing into the water. Searchers later recovered her shark-damaged gear. She may have suffered a medical emergency and was scavenged by a shark or sharks.
Tiger Beach was the site of another similar incident in 2014. Dr.John Petty, 63, was scuba diving from a boat when he surfaced and then sank underwater. His dive gear was recovered, indicating shark activity.
Second woman killed in the Bahamas
Lauren Erickson Van Wart,44, from Boston was killed Dec. 4 in a shark attack in Nassau.
The guest of Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort was paddleboarding with her newlywed husband nearly a mile away from the shore. Around 11:15 a.m. she was attacked by a shark and was bitten in her right hip region and right upper arm, leading to extreme blood loss.
The lifeguard who saw the incident used a rescue boat to collect the woman and man. CPR was performed to no avail. Beaches have been temporarily closed.
Another tourist was killed in a shark attack in Nassau in 2022.
Caroline DiPlacido, 58, had arrived in the islands Sept. 6 with family members on a cruise ship. After departing the ship the group went on an independent snorkeling excursion off Rose Island near Green Kay. Around 2 p.m. the group spotted a shark; DiPlacido was bitten on the left side of her body.
Excursion operators carried her back to shore by boat. Video from the scene shows confusion on the docks as a woman calls for help and bystanders wander about the area, possibly with understanding that medical aid would be fruitless
A mother was killed by a shark in Mexico.
Maria FeMaria Fernandez Martinez Jimenez, 26, was swimming with her child Dec. 2 off Melaque Beach, located in the western state of Jalisco, next to Barra de Navidad.
Martinez and her 5-year-old child were about 75 yards from the beach near a giant inflatable swim platform when they spotted a shark. As Martinez bravely placed her child on the platform she was bitten, suffering a large wound to her leg near the hip.
Rescuers quickly collected the pair and returned them to the beach. In video from the scene it appears the majority of her left leg is missing. She was declared deceased on the beach.
Water users who encounter a shark are advised to stay calm and face the shark. If attacked, fight back by hitting and kicking the shark in the sensitive eyes and gills.
All locations have been marked on the 2023 Shark Attack Map.
