Shark Encounter at Bahamas Resort Startles Visitors

An investigation is underway after a young visitor from Maryland had an encounter with a shark at a resort in the Bahamas on Monday. The 10-year-old, whose identity has not been disclosed, was participating in a shark tank expedition at a local resort on Paradise Island when the incident occurred. The boy sustained a bite on his right leg and was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital. His condition is reported to be stable. The circumstances surrounding the attack, including whether the boy was accompanied by family members, remain unclear. The resort in question has not been named. While the Atlantis Paradise Island offers shark experiences, they have not yet commented on the incident. Notably, a similar fatal incident occurred in the Bahamas in December, where a 44-year-old woman from Boston was fatally attacked by a shark while paddleboarding. The rarity of shark attacks was underscored by statistics from the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File, which documented a relatively low number of confirmed shark bites in 2022. NOAA Fisheries' director of public affairs, Lauren Gaches, has also emphasized the unlikelihood of shark encounters for swimmers and surfers.