Finley Downer, an eight-year-old boy from Kettering, Northamptonshire, suffered a horrific attack by at least three nurse sharks while on holiday in the Bahamas.
With bites on both legs and resulting flesh wounds, he was rushed to a local health clinic in a golf buggy.
During the family’s five-island trip, they enjoyed guided swims with iguanas, pigs, and nurse sharks at Compass Cay. Later, on a different island, they saw sharks swimming with people in a lagoon. When the children decided to join, it almost ended tragically.
They were oblivious to the fact that the sharks were fed on scraps thrown to them by the tourists.
Finley’s dad, Michael, 44, recalled: “My son could have been killed. It was like a scene out of Jaws.
“Suddenly, I heard a terrified scream and saw dozens circling Finley. There was so much blood,” he told The Sun.
“Bits of his leg were hanging off. He kept saying, ‘Dad I don’t want to die. Dad I don’t want to go to heaven.’”
Finley was reportedly taken out of the water by his sister Lilly, 9, after which he was transferred to a hospital where he underwent surgery for the severe injuries he sustained.
As the family deals with the aftermath of the traumatic experience, Michael has indicated that he places no blame on the tour company. “It was an very unfortunate accident. We were led to believe the sharks weren’t dangerous but any animal can suddenly turn and bite, even a dog. It’s no one’s fault,” he said.
According to the tour operator Exuma Escapes, the family entered a lagoon not included in the tour and did so without a guide, pointing out that nurse sharks are normally peaceful bottom-feeders unless mishandled.
“I’m happy to be seen as a bad parent who lets my kids do an excursion which I understood was safe. We didn’t think it was a risk, as much as you think these activities are safe things can happen so I hope it serves as a warning to other people,” Michael added.
Finley is expected to recover fully, but he will be left with scaring.
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