Shark Attacks Female Tourist Snorkeling In Bahamas, Bites Ankle And Foot

A shark attacked a female tourist while she was snorkeling in the Bahamas on Thursday, authorities reportedly said. The woman, who was bitten by the shark on her ankle and foot was hospitalized.

The condition of the woman, who has not been identified, wasn't immediately clear, and Assistant Police Commissioner Stephen Dean said that they did not have enough details about the woman's condition at the time. Authorities also did not reveal the type of shark that attacked the woman, however, the Bahamas has seen several similar incidents recently, mostly involving bull and tiger sharks.

Last month, a North Carolina mother of three was attacked by a shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas, The woman, identified as Tiffany Johnson was snorkeling in a shallow reef while her husband remained back on the boat. Johnson had part of her right arm amputated from the attack.

Read: How To Track A Great White Shark

“It just felt like I had bumped into something,” she told ABC-affiliated WTVD-TV at the time. “So I just casually turned to my right to look… my whole arm in its mouth, just floating there.”

Johnson told local media she attempted to free her arm and struggled with the animal for at least a few minutes but the shark only bit down harder.

“I kept trying to yank my hand back,” she told ABC-affiliated television station WSOC-TV. “The last time I yanked, he had cut it clean off so I was able to actually get free.”

“I was really scared that the shark was going to follow me,” she told Tracking Sharks. “Blood attracts sharks. I knew I had to get out of the water as fast as possible. It did not follow me, by the grace of God, because it doesn’t make sense to me. It didn’t grab my leg while I was pulled away or anything.”

Johnson's husband, James, heard his wife screaming and jumped into the water to help her. “As I looked over at her, I just saw the blood all around in the water and that part of her arm was gone,” he told Tracking Sharks.

The Bahamas have witnessed relatively few unprovoked shark attacks in the area, and according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, there have been only 28 unprovoked shark attacks from 1749 to the present.

Read: Huge Great White Shark Attacks Kayaker Off Santa Barbara Coast

Here are a few tips to follow in case you want to avoid a shark attack, courtesy Florida Museum of Natural History website.

1. Choose to swim in a group as sharks most often attack lone individuals.

2. Don't wander too far from the shore as it may be difficult to get help.

3. Avoid the water at night, dawn, or dusk as sharks are most active at these times.

4. In case you have a cut or you are bleeding, do not enter the water as sharks can smell and taste blood, and trace it back to its source.

5. Leave the water immediately if you spot a shark.

6. Don't try to touch a shark if you see one.

7. If attacked by a shark, do whatever it takes to get away from it, to sustain minimum injuries.