A bull shark similar to one that attacked a British man in Tobago waters Friday swims in a tank at an aquarium in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Jose Sena Goulao/EPA-EFE
April 27 (UPI) — A British man is hospitalized in intensive care Saturday after a bull shark attacked him while swimming off a beach in the Caribbean island of Tobago, local authorities said.
Tobago Chief Secretary Farley Chavez Augustine said during a press briefing Friday that Peter Smith, 64, was vacationing with his wife and friends when he was attacked in Great Courland Bay, also known as Turtle Beach, just hours before they were scheduled to fly back to Britain.
They decided to take one last swim early Friday, and the man suffered a severed left thigh, severed left arm below his elbow and stomach lacerations when attacked by a bull shark.
“It’s very regrettable that this happened on their very last day of vacationing,” Augustine said. “I am happy to say that he is stable and is doing well and expected to recover from the incident.”
He said “extensive work” was required to help Smith recover from his injuries and some of his fingers were reattached. Smith is in the hospital’s intensive care unit and sedated.
Smith was about 35 feet from shore in waist-deep water when the attack occurred, witnesses said. They estimated the shark was between 8 and 10 feet in length.
First responders pulled Smith from the water and transported him to a local hospital for surgery.
Responding to the shark attack, Tobago’s emergency services agencies closed Turtle Beach, which is located on the island’s northern coast, and advised other beaches along the island’s west coast also be closed until further notice.
The agencies also closed tours of reefs in the area and are using drones to monitor local shark activities.
“This is a very unusual occurrence as Tobago is renowned for its safe and beautiful beaches,” officials with Tobago’s Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation said in a statement to The Guardian.
“The division 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,” the tourism officials added.