58-Year-Old Pennsylvania Woman Killed by Bull Shark While Snorkeling in the Bahamas: 'She Will Be Missed'

Mar. 15, 2025

The 58-year-old, who was in the country as part of a week-long cruise, was killed Tuesday while snorkeling with her family, Royal Bahamas Police Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said in apress conferenceTuesday.

According to Skippings, the woman and her family (a group of 5-7 people) booked a tour with a “local company” and went snorkeling in the popular area of Green Cay, half a mile northwest of Rose Island, a private estate near the capital Nassau.

After the attack, family and tour personnel managed to rescue the woman and carried her ashore. Medical assistance was then provided at Fort Montagu but she was later pronounced dead,ABC Newsreported.

According toKHOUthe woman and her family were passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas and were only visiting Nassau for a single day. The cruise began at Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday,CNNreported.

Bull shark.Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty

“Yesterday, we learned the sad news of the sudden passing of Caroline DiPlacido, ‘86, project coordinator for the Office of Community and Government Relations, Erie Campus. She was vacationing with her family in the Bahamas,” read the message. “Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship to colleagues, students, and the wider community and cherished many family ties to Gannon. The news is devastating, and she will be missed.”

“We pray for Caroline as she crosses over to eternity. We pray for her husband, her children, her mother and her wider family,” Kesicki wrote. “Let us remember Caroline with affection and hope.”

The Bahamas.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.

“While on an independent shore excursion in Nassau, a guest sailing in Harmony of the Seas experienced injuries from a shark,” Royal Caribbean said,NBC Newsreported.

“Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time,” the statement added.

Bull Shark.Getty

The Royal Bahamas Police Force did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

According to theInternational Shark Attack File, a total of 137 shark-human interactions were 2021 recorded worldwide in 2021. ISAF also confirmed 73 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 39 provoked bites.

Among the 73, more than half (47) of them occurred in the United States, which has the most documented unprovoked bites in the world. In theBahamas, 32 unprovoked have been recorded in the country since 1749.

source: people.com