Boy, 16, decapitated by shark in horrific attack after going out swimming on his own
A teenager was decapitated during a terrifying shark attack after going for a solo swim.
Jahmari Reid, 16, had his body recovered off the coast of Jamaica as it was reported that his head was bitten off and his left arm was missing following a suspected shark attack.
He had gone on a spearfishing expedition near the well-known tourist town of Montego Bay, according to local authorities, before he disappeared on Monday (26 August) leading to a desperate search.
Sadly, the boy’s remains were discovered on Tuesday (27 August) morning, with a police report claiming that the boy’s body had injuries consistent with a shark attack, CBS News reports.
High school student Jahmari Reid was just 16 when he died (Handout)
Jahmari’s father, Michael Reid, was present on the beach when divers retrieved his body and brought it to land.
Heart-broken, he told the media as per The Jamaica Observer: “I can’t believe that he went to sea by himself and that was the outcome. Sad to know. I feel so bad.”
Speaking about his son’s spearfishing hobby, he explained that he was always against it: “It is something that we argue about, we fight about.
“He’s not doing it for a worthy cause, he’s not doing it for needs or anything. It is what it is still. Can you believe it?”
Fisherman Christopher Reynolds was also with Jahmari’s father on the beach when his body was recovered, along with a group of local residents.
He revealed that some divers said they’d seen a huge tiger shark in the water shortly before they found Jahmari’s body, but after they found his detached arm.
Locals gathered as the teenager’s body was brought on to land (Handout)
Reynolds further explained: “All of the fisherman went out there and, while they were diving to take him up, they saw the big shark.
“They shot at him but they didn’t get him.”
This incident is the fourth time that an unprovoked shark attack has resulted in a death in Jamaica, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.
President of Falmouth Fisherfolks Benevolent Society, Fritz Christie, stated that it was the first time that a shark had killed in the northwestern Jamaican waters of Trelawny.
He also speculated that the animal could have followed a cruise ship to the bay.
Speaking to local media, Fritz said: “What we have to do is make certain when the ships come to be careful of the diving.
“The shark eat off the man head, eat off one of his hand [sic]. It’s crazy, man.”
Jahmari was a student at William Knibb Memorial High School from Trelawny, with the teenager due to return to school in September following the summer holidays
Beachgoers were forced to sprint to the shoreline after a shark launched a vicious attack on its prey just metres away from throngs of tourists and locals.
People frantically fled the waters to the safety of the white-sand beach, Spratt Bight, on the Caribbean island of San Andres, north of Colombia, after the dramatic underwater brawl began on Friday (5 January).
Take a look here:
It is a spot that is eerily close to where an Italian tourist was killed in a shark attack in March 2022, so the incident obviously sparked panic among the crowds who had been soaking up the sun.
Chilling footage shared on X shows a large shark thrashing around in the shallow water just metres away from holidaymakers and locals, while a bloke was seen swiftly exiting the ocean clutching a toddler in his arms.
People were seen beckoning their friends and loved ones who were still in the water to head to dry land as others began to film the dramatic incident unfolding on the popular beach.
A tourist worker who was riding a jet ski decided to intervene in the chaos and approached the shark in an attempt to scare it away by circling it, creating ripples in the water which would hopefully deter it from the shore.
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The dizzying tactic eventually seemed to do the trick, as the shark moved away from the coastline and further out to sea.
It later emerged that the marine animal, described locally as a hammerhead shark, had been tussling with a manta ray in the water.
The bloke on the jet ski was later criticised by San Andres’ sustainable development organisation, Coralina, which said there was no real cause for concern while also urging calm among the community.
It said: “They are hammerhead sharks hunting manta rays, they’re part of their diet. Humans are not part of the diet of sharks and even less so with this type of shark, so what people need to do is be careful.
“Sharks are a fundamental part of trophic networks.”
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Marine biology expert Sandra Escobar added: “The important thing is that these incidents not lead to people attacking sharks and regarding them as enemies.”
It is believed that beachgoers were immediately panicked on Friday due to the proximity of Spratt Bight to the popular snorkelling area of La Piscinita, where Antonio Straccialini, 56, was tragically killed after a shark attack.
The Italian tourist was bitten by an eight-foot shark while swimming in the water and lost a large chunk of his right thigh, before he sadly went into hypovolemic shock and passed away due to the severe blood loss he suffered.
The incident, which occurred on 12 March, 2022, was described as a first for the area at the time, with an island government spokesman saying: “There are diving programmes with professionals in which sharks pass nearby, but nothing has ever happened.”
It is thought that a tiger shark was responsible for the deadly attack which took place nearly two years ago.
Colombian free diver Cristian Castano was then bitten by a shark off the coast of San Andres in July last year, but survived despite a grisly injury.
A swimmer has explained how he managed to save his own life after being savagely attacked by a shark.
Caleb Adams had been swimming off the coast of San Diego, California on 2 June alongside an open water swimming group when he was targeted by the predator.
Recalling the experience in an interview with NBC News, the 46-year-old explained that he had felt ‘a strong hit on the side’ of his body, which he immediately knew was a shark.
Watch Adams recount his experience in the clip below:
“I knew I had been hit by a shark. I tussled with the animal for what was seconds,” he explained.
Adams then revealed that he managed to safe himself by punching the animal multiple times, continuing: “The second time I struck the animal and I felt a softer tissue. I am going to speculate that that was inside the shark’s mouth. And I had several cuts on my hand and wrist.”
After fending off the animal, Adams was able to alert fellow swimmers in the group to his distress, calling out for help.
Adams’ swimming partner Kevin Barrett was able to come to his help, who made it over to him after the shark had left the scene.
After dragging Adams out of the water, he was able to receive treatment for his injuries, which included multiple huge gashes across his torso and cuts to his hand.
Caleb Adams was hospitalised days. (NBC)
Barrett explained that ‘blood was just pouring out of his chest’ on the shore, adding: “We could really see the traumatic extent of his injuries and it was not pretty.”
A lifeguard also helped Adams after he was brought ashore, holding his chin up and instructing him not to look at his wounds.
He was later taken to hospital for treatment and the beach was temporarily closed to the public.
Adams would subsequently spend two days in hospital recovering from his injuries.
Del Mar beach, the stretch of coastline which Adams had been swimming on is a known habitat for sharks, with 60 sharks being reported in the area since 2020.
He suffered injuries to his chest and hand. (NBC)
However, shark attacks at Del Mar beach are rare.
Prior to Adams’ attack, the last person to have been attacked by a shark was in 2022. The last fatal attack was in 2008.
After being discharged from hospital, Adams later returned to the beach with his wife, calling it an ’emotional’ experience.
“I have a beautiful community to lean on and I’m very thankful,” he added.
A young woman who was mauled by a shark in Australia miraculously survived the attack due to a ‘strange coincidence’.
Lauren O’Neill was found in a pool of blood after what is believed to be a bull shark ambushed her in Sydney Harbour on Monday (29 January).
The 29-year-old alerted her neighbours to the incident with her frantic screams as she desperately tried to climb up a ladder to the safety of the jetty after her leg was bitten by the underwater beast at around 7.45pm local time.
Onlookers told how she was found covered in ‘dark red blood’ as nearby residents rushed to find out what the commotion they had heard unfolding was.
Vet Fiona Crago, who lives in an apartment overlooking a private wharf in the bay with her wife Georgia, was one of the people who rushed to help after hearing repeated yells of ‘shark attack!’
The quick-thinking Aussie explained that she quickly scanned the room for anything that may prove useful and she ended up grabbing two compression bandages – which her other half had purchased just hours earlier.
Speaking to Channel 10, the former lawyer said: “She was severely mauled on her right leg and she was losing a lot of blood. Neighbours had already started to render first aid to her. We had quite a few people that were so helpful.
“People were throwing down towels and blankets to keep her warm but I just focused on what I had to do, which was to stem the blood flow and bandage the leg as best I can with what I had and just stabilise it. And then put a tourniquet on.
“I’m in no way heroic, I just did my job and I just did what I was trained to do.”
It proved pivotal that Fiona was armed with the compression bandages, which are typically used for sports injuries and apply pressure to a specific area or injury.
The vet, who retrained in animal health around a decade ago after a stint as a TV producer, explained that she normally only carries run-of-the-mill bandages around with her due to the field of work she is in.
But as she had swapped cars, she didn’t have her usual supply to hand – however, thankfully, her wife Georgia had picked up the two compression bandages earlier in the day.
Fiona added: “As a strange coincidence, my wife had actually gone up the road and bought two new compression bandages for another purpose, so I knew exactly where they were and just grabbed them, so it was quite lucky.”
Sky News
Her wife Georgia said that the victim had suffered a broken bone after the attack in Sydney Harbour, but pointed out that it was lucky that Lauren wasn’t any further out in the water.
She warned: “If she got bitten (further) out there, she wouldn’t have survived.”
Keen kayaker Lauren was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital by ambulance after paramedics took over from the heroic bystanders like Fiona and Georgia, where she remains in a stable condition.
Reports claim she is due to undergo surgery today for her injuries.
A spokesman for New South Wales Ambulance told Daily Mail Australia on Monday night: “She had serious bleeding. Her injuries are severe.”
Getty Stock Image
Another eyewitness to the aftermath of the shark attack, Michael Porter, described Fiona as an ‘absolute hero’ and said he thinks her actions saved Lauren’s life.
“She had wraps and tourniquets and just got straight into emergency mode, and we were all just sort of there together as a team,” he recalled.
Michael, who alerted emergency services, claimed that the victim had been swimming outside a ‘netted harbour pool’ and was ‘swimming around the boats’ before the shark pounced on her.
But despite being in a ‘complete state of shock’, he applauded Lauren for remaining ‘very lucid’ and ‘extremely brave’ throughout the ordeal.
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Harrowing moment man is attacked by shark at aquarium as tank fills with blood
This mum-to-be made it clear she wasn’t to be messed with
Being poked and prodded at the doctors is hardly a pleasant experience, but we’re hardly going to turn round and take a chunk out of our GP in frustration, are we?
Well, when you’re a heavily pregnant sand tiger shark, apparently that’s the only way to get the message across.
Harrowing footage captured the moment a scuba diver was savaged by the usually docile species at an aquarium in South Africa as he tried to perform medical checks on the fearsome creature.
Take a look at this – but be warned, it is not for the faint-hearted and includes graphic images:
There’s a reason we say someone is ‘swimming with sharks’ when they are operating among dangerous people – and it’s got a lot to do with just how menacing the marine animals can be.
The diver, who appeared to be a vet, courageously climbed into the tank at the unknown facility to perform some health checks on the sand tiger shark – which are also known as ragged-tooth sharks due to their pointy, needle-like teeth.
This obviously is no ordinary day at the office, so he was forced to chase the predator through the water as he reportedly attempted to administer a tranquilliser through its fins.
Despite normally being cooperative when it comes to interacting with humans, the shark didn’t seem to hold the same sentiment on this occasion and she grew increasingly defensive.
ViralHog
When the diver finally managed to catch up to the underwater creature, he attempted to straddle it so he could keep it under control while carrying out his work, but he was left wishing he’d have called in sick that day.
The tables turn very quickly and the ragged-tooth makes sure he knows who is boss by spinning around and beginning to tussle with him beneath the surface.
The shocking video, which was filmed back in 2016, shows the bloke being thrashed around by the beast in the water before it sinks its terrifying teeth into him while the tank alarmingly begins to fill with his blood.
He somehow managed to struggle free and rushed to the surface, where the aquarium were waiting to pull him to safety and assess his wounds.
The diver appeared to have sustained a nasty wound to his arm, which was oozing with blood, as well as a bite on his hand as the imprint of the sand tiger shark‘s large teeth marks were visible in the clip.
ViralHog
Thankfully, despite the severity of his injuries and his brush with death, he went onto make a full recovery – and headed back into the tank.
Sand tiger sharks do not have a reputation for attacking divers or aggression towards humans and usually spend their days chilling at the bottom of the ocean before hunting at night.
Despite their appearance, they are typically of a docile and placid nature, so experts reckon this pregnant ragged-tooth must have been trying to protect her unborn babies.
This species usually only give birth every second or third year after carrying their offspring for around 12 months.
After a lengthy labour, they welcome baby sand tiger sharks into the world which can be up to 3ft in length, who immediately become fully independent.
Featured Image Credit: ViralHog
