An American tourist thought she was “going to die” after a shark attacked her and her friend as they went swimming in a terrifying incident during their Bahamas vacation — and both have no plans to return to the water anytime soon.
Summer Layman, 24, and 20-year-old Rileigh Decker were paddling in the tropical waters of Bimini Bay Friday when they were both bitten by what they believe was a bull shark.
As they swam off the side of their boat in the popular resort area around 50 miles off the Florida coast, Decker felt something nudge against her, she told NBC’s “Today” on Tuesday.
The two women kept swimming before Decker felt a “tug” on her leg, she said.
“I knew right then and there I was bit,” she told “Today” from her hospital bed in Florida.
A friend pulled the pair back onto the boat, where they found both had been left savaged by the shark attack.
The group fashioned a makeshift tourniquet for Decker out of a towel and rope, before turning to Layman, whose foot had been “shredded,” she told “Today.”
“It was very scary,” she told the hosts through tears, adding that the pair had “the fear of thinking you’re going to die in the moment.”
The pair were rushed to a hospital in the Bahamas, where one of the women’s injuries were listed as “serious,” according to a statement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
They were later taken back to Florida where Decker underwent two surgeries.
“Police in Bimini are investigating an alleged shark attack involving two female tourists that occurred around 6:30 pm on Friday, 7th February 2025,” the statement read.
“Initial reports indicated that the victims, both USA residents, sustained injuries while swimming in the waters at Bimini Bay. They received initial treatment at a local clinic before being airlifted to New Providence for further medical attention,” the statement continued.
“One of the victim’s injuries is listed as serious. Investigations are ongoing.”
Decker faces another operation and told NBC News she will “never” go back in the ocean.
“I won’t even put my toes in again,” she told “Today.”
Layman said on the program that she was “grateful” to have made it out alive and added that she wouldn’t return to the water for a “long time.”
The Bahamas is in the Top 10 shark attack hotspots in the world, just behind Mexico, according to data from the Florida Museum.
Despite that, incidents such as Friday’s are still mercifully rare in the island country, with just 34 unprovoked shark attacks recorded there since 1580, according to the same map.
