Briton, 64, in critical care after ‘unusual’ shark attack on Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago
A British man is in intensive care after an “unusual” shark attack on the Caribbean island of Tobago.
The 64-year-old man is receiving critical care after the bull shark attack left him with injuries to his left arm, left leg and stomach, Tobago’s Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation said.
The division said the man, who was holidaying on Tobago, had been attacked 10 metres off the shore at Great Courland Bay, also known as Turtle beach, on the island’s north coast on Friday morning.
The emergency services were contacted immediately and once the man had been rescued from the water, he was taken to hospital for surgery.
Tobago’s tourism division said the attack was “unusual and unfortunate”.
It said Tobago House of Assembly’s emergencies agencies had responded to the attack by closing Turtle beach, where the attack took place, until further notice, and advised that beaches on the island’s west coast be closed until further notice. All reef tours in the area have also been suspended, the tourism division’s statement said.
Drones were being used to surveil the area, it said.
The division said: “This is a very unusual occurrence as Tobago is renowned for its safe and beautiful beaches … The division would also like to reassure the public that the safety of our visitors is a priority and all expertise are being engaged to ensure safety and manage this situation as best as possible.”
Orion Jakerov, a water sports manager at the nearby Starfish hotel who witnessed the attack, described how the shark had struck in shallow water and people had tried to fight it off.
Jakerov told the local broadcaster TTT Live: “I don’t think they saw it. They were about waist height in the water so they weren’t out of their depth. I think their backs were turned and they were just kind of lounging around. Nobody saw the shark coming.
“Even while the shark was around and doing the attack, the other people were in the water and physically trying to fight off the shark.”
A $10,000 (£8,000) bounty was placed on the bull shark, before being retracted, the chief secretary, Farley Augustine, said.
The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
Shark attacks on Tobago are rare – most attacks in the region take place farther north, in the central Caribbean and off the eastern and southern coasts of the US, according to the International Shark Attack File database.
In 2023, 69 unprovoked shark bites were recorded, according to the database. This is in line with, while slightly higher than, the five-year average of 63 incidents annually. About half took place in the US, which recorded 36 unprovoked bites.
There were 14 confirmed shark-related fatalities last year, 10 of which were considered unprovoked, it said.
