Women Survive Shark Attack in the Bahamas

Chris Lambert

Staff Writer

On Friday, Feb. 7, two American women, Summer Layman and Rileigh Decker, were attacked by a shark off the west coast of the Bahamas in Bimini Bay. The women were partying on a boat when they decided to jump into the water. They did not see any sign of sharks, so they felt safe jumping in, but as soon as they jumped in, Decker felt something nudge her leg which made them start swimming to get to the ladder that was attached to the boat.

While swimming to the ladder, Decker felt a tug on her leg and correctly assumed the shark bit her. It severed her achilles and artery, with the shark taking her calf with the bite.

Decker is awaiting further surgery after being flown to Florida for treatment. Layman helped Decker get back on the boat and made a tourniquet out of rope from another boat to help with the bleeding. Layman injured her foot and received a cast with 48 stitches two days after the incident.

The women made it to shore and were driven by a golf cart to a clinic where Deckman was flown to Nassau and then to Florida. She is currently waiting in Orlando for further treatment.

Both women endured the incident without painkillers and feel lucky to have made it out of the water alive. This attack follows two other recent Americans being bitten in the Bahamas. A 10-year-old boy was bitten during a shark tank expedition in January 2024, while a 44-year-old woman from Boston was fatally attacked while paddleboarding in the Bahamas near a beach resort.