A 17-year-old teenager was bitten by a shark after dragging the animal onto a boat off the coast of Galveston, Texas, on Monday. Emergency services were called at around 3:30pm after the teen suffered a bite to his arm, with his father applying a tourniquet to stem the bleeding.
The situation worsened when the boat lost power, leaving the injured youngster stranded at sea. Police alerted the Coast Guard Command Centre, stating: 'He’s been bleeding for two hours, they’ve placed a tourniquet, but he’s bleeding, lost a lot of blood, barely conscious.'
Rescue teams, including the Coast Guard, treated the boy's arm with a second tourniquet. He was taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch after reaching land. His current condition remains unknown.
Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen clarified that the incident was not a typical shark attack. 'All the reports were that it was a shark attack, but it wasn’t; [the shark] was actually brought onto the boat and the shark ended up biting [the teen],' Fullen said. The bite may have occurred as the teen attempted to remove a hook from the shark’s mouth.
Shark incidents in Texas are rare, with only 19 recorded since 1911, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) investigated 105 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2025, confirming 65 unprovoked bites and 29 provoked bites.
