The family of a tourist who was seriously injured when she was bitten while attempting to “engage” with a shark in Turks and Caicos is now speaking out concerning the horrifying moment that “completely altered” the Canadian woman’s life.
The 55-year-old Canadian tourist, who stays unnamed, attempted to “engage with the animal from the shallows in an try to take photographs” on Friday, Feb. 7, in accordance with a press release from the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) last week.
The victim’s brother-in-law, Al Chevarie, has arrange a GoFundMe page to financially help the girl and her husband, Ralph Chevarie, following the incident.
“While on what was speculated to be a calming vacation, my sister-in-law and her husband, my brother, lived what can only be described as a nightmare,” Al began his post on the fundraising page.
He said his brother and sister-in-law were in “only hip deep clear water” when a “seven-foot bull shark got here at my sister-in-law and bumped into her legs.”
“The shark then circled around and bit her thigh. Not satisfied, the shark got here back again and when she put each hands in front of her to guard herself, the shark cut off each of her hands, one at mid forearm and the opposite on the wrist,” he wrote.
Photo from the GoFundMe for woman involved in shark encounter in Turks and Caicos.
Al Chevarie / GoFundMe
Chevarie said his brother rushed back to assist her and “managed to wrestle away the shark and stayed between her and the shark until she walked out of the water and collapsed on the beach.”
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The Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources originally shared that the incident took place in Blue Hills, Providenciales, on Friday, Feb. 7, and the victim was taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where she was stabilized and transported off the island for further medical attention.
Chevarie said his sister-in-law was taken to an area hospital for initial treatment “but needed to be flown back to Canada by air ambulance to undergo further surgery and recovery.”
“My brother served our country within the Canadian Armed forces for over 30 years with tours in Kuwait, twice in Afghanistan, Golan Heights, Haiti and Bosnia. He served our country with pride; it’s our turn to assist them,” Chevarie wrote. “That is something that has completely altered their life within the blink of an eye fixed. I ask, in the event you can, to please help them; they may need a whole lot of support to get through this. Any and all contributions can be greatly appreciated.”
The GoFundMe post has currently raised over $24,600 of its goal of $35,000 from 309 donations as of Tuesday morning.
The Turks and Caicos government had previously said that the shark was roughly six feet in length, and didn’t discover the particular species.
Government officials closed the beach following the incident and reopened it to the general public Sunday, Feb. 9, “after it was determined that the shark had moved to deeper water.”
The federal government didn’t share further details of the tourist’s interaction with the shark but did issue a warning to others swimming in the realm.
“The DECR would love to induce the general public to all the time pay attention to your surroundings, follow local advisories, and respect marine life. Swim in designated areas, avoid murky waters, never swim alone, and don’t try to feed marine wildlife under any circumstances,” the post read.
Shark bites within the waters off the Turks and Caicos islands are rare, with just one unprovoked non-fatal attack reported last 12 months, in accordance with the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
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