A 12-year-old American boy is in stable condition after a shark encounter Tuesday (June 23) while swimming near Staniel Cay in the Exuma Cays of the Bahamas. The Royal Bahamas Police Force reported the incident occurred while the boy was on a tour with his family.

The victim was swimming with his brother when the shark encounter took place, according to a statement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. Authorities received information shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET that the boy was being transported by boat to New Providence for medical treatment.

The boy's mother told police that the attack happened during a tour of the Exuma Cays. He received medical treatment for his injuries and was last listed in stable condition. The Royal Bahamas Police Force has not released the boy's identity or specified what injuries he sustained.

The Exuma Cays are popular for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. The waters off Staniel Cay contain coral reefs and shipwrecks, and are home to a range of wildlife including sea turtles, stingrays, and sharks. Police did not specify what kind of shark bit the boy.

The Bahamas is home to more than 40 different species of shark across approximately 400,000 square miles of marine area. The country is sometimes referred to as the shark diving capital of the world, given its biodiversity and shark protection efforts led by the Bahamas National Trust.

The Bahamas accounted for five of the unprovoked shark bites recorded last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File, though none of the five were fatal. Over the past 400 years, the database shows just 30 confirmed, unprovoked shark attacks in the Bahamas.

Multiple Americans have been injured by shark attacks in the Bahamas in recent years. In February 2025, two American women were attacked while swimming off Bimini Bay, with one woman seriously injured. In August 2025, a 63-year-old American man was severely injured when he was attacked by a shark while spearfishing off the island of Abaco and was airlifted to the United States for additional treatment.

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