Boston newlywed, 44, killed by shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas

A newlywed from Boston was killed by a shark while vacationing in the Bahamas Monday, according to local police.

The 44-year-old woman was paddleboarding with a male relative about three-quarters of a mile from shore when the shark suddenly bit her around 11:15 a.m. in New Providence, Royal Bahamas police said.

A lifeguard witnessed the attack from the beach at Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort and raced out to the pair in a boat to rescue them, police spokesperson Sgt. Desiree Ferguson told reporters.

The guard brought both back to shore, where CPR was administered to the woman.

However, she suffered “serious injuries to the right side of her body,” including her hip area and her upper limb, Ferguson said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was carried off the beach. The woman’s identity wasn’t immediately released.

Witnesses told local outlets the woman had just gotten married and that the man she was paddleboarding with was her groom, but police were unable to immediately confirm if the pair were newlyweds.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences…for this most unfortunate situation,” Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson said during a press conference.

A jet ski operator told the Nassau Guardian that he saw the attack from the shore.

“It was crazy because… I watched them push out from the beach,” he said of the pair. “They were laughing and talking.”

When he looked back, he only saw the man on his board.

“When I saw it was only the guy standing on the board, I said she must have fallen off,” he said. “Then you could actually hear the faint shouts of him screaming for help.”

The woman’s death is the second shark attack in the Bahamas — where such attacks are fairly rare — in just under two weeks.

On Nov. 21, a 47-year-old German woman went missing after she encountered a shark during a dive in waters off West End, Grand Bahama.

In September 2022, a 58-year-old American woman died after she was attacked by a shark while snorkeling with her family off the coast of New Providence.

Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, told Boston.com that sharks in the area may have become accustomed to tourists gawking at them from boats and the beach.

“So the sharks get acclimated, and the animals are a little bit less cautious than they otherwise might be,” Naylor said.