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US Coast Guard rescues shark attack victim who was 'making friends with sharks' in the Bahamas

Jim Abernethy advertises the cage-free shark dive trip as an opportunity for 'up close and personal encounters' with sharks

A 51-year-old man was airlifted to hospital after a diving trip off the Bahamas, advertised as a chance to "make friends with sharks", took a horrific turn on Monday, February 21. The unidentified man got bitten by the shark while he was fishing during the trip, which was priced at $3,250 per head, and was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where the doctors declared him to be stable in condition. 

Sharing the video of the airlift, the US Coast Guard South East tweeted, "Air Station Miami air crews rescued a 51-year-old man, Monday, after he was bitten by a shark while fishing aboard a vessel near #Bimini, #Bahamas". The incident happened when the man had been taking part in a six-day trip on the boat Shear Water interacting with tiger sharks and great hammerheads off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. 

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The six-day trip the man was on was run by a 65-year-old shark conservationist Jim Abernethy. The passionate crusader for sharks advertises the cage-free shark dives as an opportunity for "up close and personal encounters" with sharks. Abernethy aims to teach divers to "make friends with sharks using affection, rather than food."

The video released by the coast guard shows the 51-year-old man being winched out of the boat onto the helicopter with a bandaged left arm. Petty Officer Jose Hernandez from the coast guard narrating the incident said: "It was reported to us that a passenger aboard the Shear Water was reeling in their line, he reached down to lift it out of the water when a shark came up and bit his arm." The coast guard said they were contacted by the Shear Water saying, "a man aboard had been bitten by a shark while fishing and that a tourniquet had been placed on the man’s arm to prevent further blood loss."

It is not clear what sort of shark was involved. Sean Connett, command duty officer at US Coast Guard said, "This was the best possible outcome to a truly terrifying situation. This individual was fortunate that a fellow crew member was able to render aid prior to the coast guard’s arrival which allowed for a quick extraction from the vessel." The shark attack comes after Simon Nellist who was training for a charity event at Little Bay in Sydney, Australia got killed by a 4.5-meter long shark on February 16, 2022.