Shark attacks tourist off Caribbean island when she pursues it for photo, cops say

Mark Price, Miami Herald on Feb 14, 2025

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A tourist visiting the Caribbean had to be flown to a hospital after she was attacked while trying to “engage” with a shark for a photo, according to investigators.

It happened Friday, Feb. 7, off a beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands, 600 miles southeast of Miami, and the woman is expected to survive. Her identity has not been released.

“The shark was estimated to be approximately 6ft in length, however the species is yet to be confirmed,” the Turks & Caicos Islands Government said in a Feb. 12 news release.

“It has been determined that the tourist had attempted to engage with the animal from the shallows in an attempt to take photographs.”

The Sun news outlet reports the 55-year-old woman was attacked around 10:30 a.m. and a photo shows the injuries were to one of her legs. It happened near the Blue Hills settlement, on the north side of Providenciales, the nation’s main island.

Out of caution, government officials closed the beach until midday Sunday, Feb. 9, “after it was determined that the shark had moved to deeper water.”

Waters around the islands are home to multiple types of sharks including grey reef sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks, and hammerhead sharks, according to Visit Turks & Caicos Islands.