Following an unfortunate incident in which a shark severely injured a 15-year-old American student visiting from Colorado while on a scuba diving trip in Belize, the family has launched a GoFundMe page, https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-annabelles-brave-recovery-journey. The unimaginable encounter happened on August 6th off Half Moon Caye when the teenager, after completing her dive, decided to jump back in the water for a swim. Even though she was immediately assisted by tour company members and taken to a Belize Coast Guard base, other divers partaking in the trip noted a lack of appropriate resources when handling such emergencies. To be better prepared, they urge more training for the staff handling the tours and recommend getting a better first aid kit.
One of the divers, who contacted The San Pedro Sun and is familiar with emergency medical care, stated that when the young girl was attacked, other divers applied a tourniquet on her leg and provided first aid. The witness recommends that all dive shops carry this when out at sea and that the diving staff, dive masters, and captains know how to use the tourniquets, have a better first aid kit, and maintain other safety equipment.
The witness noted that a helicopter with a medic on board would be waiting when they arrived at the nearby Belize Coast Guard base. According to them, there was no helicopter waiting. However, a private helicopter arrived moments later and transported the injured minor to Belize City. Despite being stabilized and later airlifted to the United States, no new updates have been shared as she recovers.
Those witnessing the traumatic incident do not want to blame anyone for it but want to raise awareness that safety standards should be implemented. They believe the situation could have been better handled and, as such, recommend more training and better safety equipment onboard these tour boats.
The Belize Tourism Board has not released an official statement on rare shark attacks. However, according to unofficial reports, they are discussing the matter, and one of the first measures will be enforcing that all tour operators provide proper training to their staff and an adequate first aid kit.
This shark behavior is considered a one in 11.5 million chance of happening. A Belizean marine biologist studying sharks, Kirah Forman Castillo, shared with the media that it was an isolated incident involving a Caribbean Reef Shark. Castillo noted that these sharks appeared to be in mating season and tend to be a bit excited. Castillo could not tell what could cause this unusual behavior in the shark, as it is rare in Belizean waters. While the unfortunate event is being investigated, it was noted that there had been some behavioral changes in these marine species because they have already been conditioned in one way or another by human recreational activities.
