A British man who was left fighting for his life after a brutal bull shark attack while on holiday in the Caribbean has spoken publicly for the first time about the terrifying ordeal. Peter Smith, a 66-year-old retired IT director from Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, was viciously assaulted by the predator near Turtle Beach, close to the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay, Tobago, back in April 2024.
A Sudden and Savage Assault
The attack, which is believed to be the only shark incident ever officially recorded in Tobago, left Peter with catastrophic injuries. He was rushed to the sole hospital on the island suffering from a massive portion of his upper thigh bitten away, a severe bite on one arm, and deep lacerations across his stomach. Peter instantly recognised his assailant as a bull shark, renowned as one of the world's most dangerous shark species.
Desperate Fight for Survival
Terrified of being dragged beneath the waves, Peter said he immediately began to fight back with everything he had. 'I start punching the shark. To be honest I don't know what I was trying to do, but I was hitting it,' he told the BBC. 'I can honestly say I've never hit anything as hard as I hit that shark.' The situation deteriorated rapidly. 'After hitting my leg, it managed to attack my left arm and then my stomach. The situation got serious really fast. I lost a lot of blood,' he recounted.
His friends, John and Moira, who were in the water with him, helped fend off the shark. Moira's screams alerted Peter's wife, Joanna, and other bystanders who assisted in pulling him from the water. Joanna described the horrific scene: 'I remember going into the water and seeing his terrible injuries. I could see bones, it was just awful.'
A Harrowing Journey to Treatment
The ambulance journey to hospital was agonising. 'I'm screaming, I'm crying, losing a lot of blood and losing consciousness. People are screaming at me to stay awake,' Peter recalled. The crisis deepened at the local hospital. Doctors asked Joanna to sign a consent form for the potential amputation of her husband's limbs if necessary. They also quickly realised the facility had run out of blood, necessitating an urgent medical evacuation.
Peter and Joanna were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, for specialist trauma surgery. During his complex treatment, doctors used a special membrane to aid skin grafting on one of his wounds. 'Then they laughed,' Peter said. 'So we were saying, "Well, what's funny?" And they said, "the membrane is made from shark". So I have a piece of shark in my leg.'
Long Road to Recovery
The severity of the attack has led to a long and challenging rehabilitation. Peter has had to relearn how to walk and suffers from significant nerve damage in his arm, resulting in a loss of feeling in his fingers and difficulty gripping objects. Despite these profound challenges, he expresses profound gratitude. 'At least I have mobility issues. At least I have limbs. At one stage it looked like I wasn't going to have any,' he reflected.
A Message of Resilience and Support
Remarkably, Peter holds no ill will towards Tobago and is keen to ensure his experience does not deter other tourists. 'The people in Tobago were really good to me. They depend on tourism for their livelihood. I'd go back. I still think of the sky and the sea,' he stated. He concluded with a powerful perspective on his survival: 'What's the point in surviving a shark attack if you're going to live the rest of your life in fear?'
