A 15-year-old Colorado girl, Annabelle Carlson, lost her right leg in a rare shark attack while on a diving excursion with her family in Belize. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning near Half Moon Caye in the Gulf of Honduras, shortly after Annabelle had finished scuba diving and returned to the water for a swim. “It was a very aggressive, very traumatic, terror-filled fight for her life,” a family friend wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to support Annabelle’s recovery. “Annabelle was able to fight off the attack as best as she could but was critically injured in the fight.” Despite the severity of her injuries, Annabelle is expected to survive.
The GoFundMe campaign, titled “Annabelle 1, Shark 0,” has already raised $99,000 of its $250,000 goal to help cover medical expenses. Shark attacks in Belize are exceedingly rare, with this being the first of its kind in over 30 years, according to Andre Perez, Belize’s Minister of Blue Economy and Aviation. “There’s nothing to be worried about,” Perez assured during a press conference. “We are safe.”
Quick response saves teen’s life
The Carlson family was on an excursion with the tour company Belize Dive Pro, heading to Lighthouse Reef, a popular atoll in the Caribbean Sea. Annabelle was bitten on her right leg by the shark, resulting in the loss of her limb, Belize Coast Guard Admiral Elton Bennett confirmed. Tour operators acted swiftly, pulling Annabelle from the water and transporting her to a Coast Guard base, where emergency medical professionals stabilized her. She was then airlifted to a local hospital in Belize City and later flown to a top trauma center in the United States. “She’s stable, and she’s recovering at this time,” Bennett said.
Annabelle, a sophomore at Aspen High School, is known for her involvement in lacrosse and basketball. Her school community and friends have rallied around her, offering support as she begins her recovery.
Though shark attacks have been making headlines more frequently, they remain rare events. According to the 2024 Shark Attack Map, there have been 52 shark bites reported this year, underscoring the uncommon nature of such incidents, even in regions where they occur more frequently.
