Shark Comes for US Boy on Vacation Swim

A family outing in the Bahamas turned harrowing Tuesday when a 12-year-old American boy was attacked by a shark, police say. The incident happened around 3:30pm off Staniel Cay in the Exuma Cays, a busy destination for snorkeling and diving. The boy was on a tour, swimming with his brother when the attack occurred, per CBS News. Authorities didn't detail the boy's injuries or identify the shark species, but say he was taken by boat to New Providence, where he was treated and is now in stable condition, Bahamas' Eyewitness News reports.

Though the Bahamas has one of the world's higher tallies of unprovoked shark attacks, the overall numbers remain very low: the International Shark Attack File counts just 30 confirmed cases there over four centuries. Still, several recent attacks have involved American visitors, including a 10-year-old boy injured in January 2024 and a Boston woman killed while paddleboarding in December 2023.