A family snorkeling outing meant to celebrate a 40th wedding anniversary instead left a Connecticut man badly injured after a shark bit him in the Bahamas. John Schweizer survived the attack, but needed urgent treatment for wounds to his hand and shin.
Schweizer was snorkeling with relatives when he was bitten by a shark estimated to be 5 to 7 feet long, according to KCRA. He was returned to his cruise ship, where an emergency-room doctor spent about three hours treating him, placing four stitches in his hand and 26 more in his shin before he was taken to a Miami hospital.
Caribbean Reef Sharks Rarely Bite Humans
The shark was identified as a Caribbean reef shark, a species common around the Bahamas and other tropical Caribbean waters. The Florida Museum of Natural History says the species infrequently attacks humans, though it can cause serious lacerations when an encounter turns aggressive.
The museum’s International Shark Attack File lists four unprovoked attacks attributed to Caribbean reef sharks, with none recorded as fatal. The broader database also cautions that shark incidents remain rare compared with the number of people entering the water each year.
Schweizer was ultimately brought home to Connecticut, where he continued recovering with support from his loved ones, KCRA reported. He has said the experience changed his relationship with the ocean and that he does not plan to swim with sharks again.
