A 16-year-old boy was brutally mauled by a shark while swimming alone off the coast of Jamaica, marking an extremely rare attack for the Caribbean island, authorities said.
Divers found Jahmari Reid’s decapitated body Tuesday morning, one day after he vanished during his solo spearfishing expedition near the popular tourist town of Montego Bay.
The teen’s left arm was also missing and the remainder of his body was badly mutilated, witnesses told the Jamaica Observer.
“I can’t believe that he went to sea by himself yesterday and that was the outcome. Sad to know. I feel so bad,” Jahmari’s heartbroken father, Michael Reid, told the local outlet.
A tiger shark was spotted stalking the tropical waters where Jahmari’s severed arm was found, leading rescue teams to suspect the ocean predator was the culprit.
The divers and fishermen tried shooting the “big shark,” but missed, one witness said. The crews hoped they could recover Jahmari’s missing head from the fish’s stomach before it was too late.
The high school student was spearfishing alone early Monday when the tragedy occurred, according to police.
Jahmari was an avid spearfisher despite his grieving father’s persistent pleas against the water sport.
“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?” Michael Reid said.
Experts suspect the maneater had been following a cruise vessel when it spotted the teen.
“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,” President of Falmouth Fisherfolks Benevolent Society Fritz Christie said.
Shark attacks in Jamaica are extremely rare.
Since 1749, only three unprovoked shark attacks have been reported near the island nation, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.
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