THE British tourist who was savagely mauled by a 10ft bull shark in the Caribbean has been flown to Miami to undergo further treatment for his chilling injuries.
Peter Smith, 64, was left fighting for his life after the shark left him with horror wounds to his hand, thigh and stomach as desperate beachgoers waded through the crimson water to fight off the beast.
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The Brit from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was savaged 33ft off the shore near the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay on the north coast of Tobago on Friday morning.
Smith was successfully transferred from Tobago’s general hospital in Scarborough to the A.N.R. Robinson International Airport on Tuesday morning local time.
Tobago’s Health Secretary Dr Faith B. Yisrael spoke about Smith saying: “He was airlifted out of Tobago at approximately 12:05 on Tuesday morning, arriving in Miami at 3:51 a.m.
“He is now in the care of medical professionals at Jackson Memorial Hospital (MJMH), Miami, Florida.”
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The brave father-of-two was left with serious injuries to his stomach and much of the left hand side of his body, including his hand and thigh.
After the horror mauling he was swiftly taken to the Intensive Care Unit of the Scarborough General Hospital for urgent treatment.
He is believed to have underwent surgery on Sunday.
The other people in the water were physically trying to fight the shark off while it attacked
Orion Jakerov
His wife Joanne Smith – who was on holiday with him – praised the support team they had around them including the friendly hospital staff and the Tobago people who saved Smith’s life.
Orion Jakerov, a watersports manager at the Starfish Resort saw the whole terrifying ordeal unfold.
He said: “The other people in the water were physically trying to fight the shark off while it attacked.”
Joanne thanked “two friends” in particular who stayed firm in the water despite witness the shark’s fury up close.
The couple had been holidaying on the island with friends and were due to fly home that day.
The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family.
Several beaches and coastal areas were closed and a $10,000 (£8,000) bounty previously offered to anyone who could capture the shark was later retracted.
It was revealed on Friday evening that Peter’s fingers had been “re-attached” but “extensive work” was still needed on one of his legs.
Tobago’s chief secretary Farley Augustine said on Sunday that the tourist was “doing well” and was being kept under sedation in the intensive care unit.
There was still “extensive work” to be completed, he said, but “we expect him to recover from the incident”.
I saw someone running down with a towel, and then I saw a dorsal fin come out of the water and thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a shark.’
Stephanie Wright
Witnesses said Peter was only in waist-deep water when he was attacked, and that people nearby tried to chase off the predator.
Stephanie Wright, from West Sussex, said: “We saw some people on the beach, and I originally thought the gentleman had had a cardiac arrest, and I thought they were helping him.
“And then I saw someone running down with a towel, and then I saw a dorsal fin come out of the water and thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a shark.’
“As it turned, I saw the tail come out as well, as it swam off.”
Last year, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.
What makes bull sharks so dangerous?
BULL sharks are the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to experts.
The shark, also known as the Zambezi shark in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species found across the world in warm, shallow ocean waters.
Bull sharks have also been known to swim up into freshwater rivers.
They are dangerous because they are aggressive and because they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim, both during the day and at night.
Humans are not the shark’s preferred prey – their diet consists mainly of fish – but they will eat almost anything, including dolphins, sea turtles, and even other sharks.
BULL SHARK KEY INFO
- Scientific name: Carcharhinus leucas
- Type: Fish
- Diet: Carnivore
- Average lifespan in the wild: 16 years
- Size: Seven to 11.5ft
- Weight: 200 to 500lbs
HORROR ATTACKS
The brutal attack off Tobago followed another incident where a teenage boy was mauled by a great white shark while fishing.
The teen was bitten on the leg off a beach in South Australia – and subsequently rushed to hospital – having reeled the beast in from a small fishing boat.
Last Saturday, another man was rushed to hospital in Australia after falling victim to a shark attack.
The beachgoer was bitten at the Bombie Surfing Spot near Exmouth in Western Australia at about midday.
Cops said paramedics only learned of the horror attack when the man turned up at a hospital for treatment.
He was immediately admitted and later declared to be in stable condition.
A local surfer said he was “shocked” to hear what had happened but it was “all part of the game” of surfing, the West Australian reported.
Other beachgoers and surfers were advised to take additional caution and adhere to beach closures.
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