A British man who was left fighting for his life after a bull shark attacked him while on holiday in the Caribbean has spoken of the terrifying incident for the first time.
Peter Smith, 66, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was attacked by the predator by Turtle Beach near the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay, Tobago, in April 2024.
He was taken to the only hospital on the island with a huge part of his upper thigh bitten off, a large bite on one arm and deep cuts to his stomach. The attack on Peter is believed to be the only shark attack ever recorded in Tobago.
The retired IT director said he instantly recognised he was being attacked by a bull shark, among the most dangerous in the world.
Terrified he would be dragged underwater, Peter said he immediately began fighting it.
Peter told the BBC: ‘I start punching the shark. To be honest I don’t know what I was trying to do, but I was hitting it.
‘I can honestly say I’ve never hit anything as hard as I hit that shark.
‘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.’
Peter Smith was rushed in an ambulance to the only hospital on Tobago
Several people helped drag Peter out of the water
Bull sharks are among the most dangerous in the world (File image)
His friends, John and Moira, were beside him in the sea at the time of the attack, and helped fight the shark off. Moira’s screams alerted Peter’s wife, Joanna, along with others who helped him out of the water.
She told the broadcaster: ‘I remember going into the water and seeing his terrible injuries. I could see bones, it was just awful.’
Peter spoke of the terrible pain he was in as he was being driven to hospital: ‘I’m screaming, I’m crying, losing a lot of blood and losing consciousness. People are screaming at me to stay awake.’
His wife revealed that she wasn’t sure if he would make it, especially after doctors at the hospital asked her to sign a form to consent to the removal of her husband’s limbs if necessary.
They also quickly realised that he needed to be sent to another hospital as ‘they’d run out of blood.’
Peter and Joanna were flown to the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, for specialist treatment, where he underwent specialist treatment.
One of these procedures saw doctors place a special membrane over one of his wounds to help with skin grafts.
Peter said, referring to the doctors: ‘Then they laughed. 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.’
Despite everything, he said he would love to go back to Tobago
He was left seriously injured, losing a large chunk of one of his legs and needing to relearn how to walk
Peter said he knew instantly that it was a bull shark that had attacked him
The severity of the attack meant he has spent a lot of time and effort recovering. Since the attack, he has had to relearn how to walk and has nerve issues in his arm.
This has left him with no feeling in his fingers and a difficulty grabbing things.
Despite this, Peter said he was ‘grateful’ to still be alive: ‘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 also said he wanted to make sure that what happened to him did not put others off from visiting Tobago: ‘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.
‘What’s the point in surviving a shark attack if you’re going to live the rest of your life in fear?’
