Featured Image Credit: Facebook
Topics: Shark Attacks, Sharks, Travel
Joe Harker
A woman had her hands bitten off by a shark that she was supposedly trying to take a picture of.
Canadian woman Nathalie Ross was named as the victim of a shark attack which took place on Thompson’s Cove Beach on The Turks and Caicos Islands on the morning of 7 February.
"On Friday February 7 a tourist was injured by a shark in the waters adjacent to Blue Hills, Providenciales,” the Turks & Caicos Islands Government said in a statement.
“The individual was taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre where she was stabilised and later flown off island for further medical care.”
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The beach was closed until February 9 when it was determined that the shark had swum on to new waters.
While the type of shark has not yet been determined, it was estimated to be around six feet in length, and an investigation into the attack concluded that the woman 'had attempted to engage with the animal from the shallows in an attempt to take photographs'.
Pictures of the incident show the 55-year-old woman lying on the beach as others around her attempted to stop the bleeding.
It is believed that the woman lost her hands in the shark attack, with the animal also biting into her thigh, but the woman who was attacked was airlifted to hospital and is expected to survive.
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According to The Sun, a witness to the shark attack claimed they saw the woman managing to hobble back up the beach away from the animal despite her injuries including the bite on her legs.
Onlookers described how the woman's husband 'tried to fight' the shark off, and how the denizen of the deep was 'still lingering' for minutes after the attack.
There are many sharks in the waters around the Turks & Caicos Islands, but attacks from the aquatic animals are rather rare.
Between 2021 and 2025, there were four shark attack incidents, all of the victims survived and the sharks are noted for usually being 'very docile', though there are warnings about getting too close and interacting with them.
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A statement from the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) warned people not to get too close to sharks and to make sure you have help in the water.
They said: "The DECR would like to urge the public to always be aware of your surroundings, follow local advisories, and respect marine life.
“Swim in designated areas, avoid murky waters, never swim alone, and do not attempt to feed marine wildlife under any circumstances.”