Bahamas: Visitor bitten by shark while scuba diving

[DandyDon]

Bells Channel is at Freeport, Grand Bahama island

The Freeport News - Visitor bitten by shark while scuba diving

A 54-year-old South Florida man was bitten by a shark while diving in waters off Bell Channel yesterday afternoon.

The man was reportedly among a group of visitors who arrived on the island on Saturday.

An eyewitness said the group went out on a luxury yacht called the Lady Jo yesterday, to a reef which was approximately a mile offshore, and were scuba diving when the man was attacked by a shark approximately 8-10 feet long, which bit his upper right arm.

A report from The Bahamas Air and Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) indicated that officials received a distress call at approximately 12.30 p.m. that a man had been bitten by a shark.

His arm was almost bitten off, the report stated.

BASRA then notified the police, requested an ambulance, and transported the injured man to shore at the Port Lucaya Marina to meet the ambulance, which then took him to the Rand Memorial Hospital.

He reportedly underwent surgery and up to press time yesterday, police said he was in stable condition.

According to the BASRA report, persons on board the boat said they were diving on Shark Junction, with the proper dive flag erected, when a glass-bottom boat maneuvered near to them while the persons on board were throwing out bait to lure animals to the vessel.

" The glass-bottom boat's crew were yelled at many times that divers were in the water, but to no avail," the BASRA report read.

Police said investigations into the matter are still being carried out.

 

[SoccerJeni]

Wow What a horrible thing for that man, but amazing that he lived! I didn't realize that glass bottom boats bait.

 

[DandyDon]

Oh I guess it's good for business to feed the sharks every trip so they'll be there every time for the customers viewing. I wonder if the viewers witnessed the attack?

Shark chumming is problematic in many ways.

 

[Dr Wu]

I wonder if the viewers witnessed the attack?

If they did they certainly got their moneys worth out of the trip.

 

[SoccerJeni]

If they did they certainly got their moneys worth out of the trip.

Wouldn't have been for me if I was there. I'd likely have nightmares for quite some time.

 

[Johnnycat]

I've never been a fan of "Shark Dives" or gimmicks like the glass bottom boat that bait sharks.

It isn't really necessary - if you want to see sharks get in the water and sooner or later you will. I've never been on a baited dive and I've seen several. Without trying.

 

[Splitlip]

subscribing

 

[Ayisha]

That is very unfortunate. This brings to mind that divers who are not baiting can be put at greater risk by other divers/ops that are baiting nearby... What can be done?

 

[DandyDon]

What can be done?

Convince them that it's bad for business? That seems to be the prime motivation there. Enforcement would be tough tho, mostly meaning that those who continued couldn't advertise that so you'd have less warning. Egypt had a somewhat similar problem, altho somewhat different.

This is not the first scuba diver shark attack in Bahamas from chumming, but it may be the first caused by another boat's. I dived the Exumas once (part of the Bahamas) and we dived on a site that others chummed, but we didn't - just assumed the position, and the sharks blew us off quickly. I don't think we chummed in the Biminis (also in Bahamas), but I have too ill to dive for half of that trip and might have missed it.

 

[RogerAGrimes]

Sounds like a law suit is in order.