A Colorado teenager, Annabelle Carson, recalls the horrifying moment of a shark attack that cost her a leg during a family vacation last year. This incident occurred during a scuba diving trip in the Bay of Honduras, about three hours from the coast of Belize, in August 2024.
She described how the shark struck shortly after she entered the water, saying, “My legs were almost gone… it was a bit of a bone from just below my knees to my ankles,” she told News Nation.
Annabelle and her brother had decided to jump into the water when sharks began biting her hand. She instinctively fought back, though she didn’t initially comprehend what she was facing.
“I really didn’t know what was going on and it kind of made me realize I was being attacked by a shark,” she reflected.
In a panic, her family shouted for help at the six-foot reef shark and tossed her a life ring in an attempt to save her. Panic escalated as she tried to hold on.
“My hands were pretty damaged, and they started to pull me toward them, so I looped the ring into my arm, and that’s when the second shark attacked,” she explained.
This second shark bit into her right leg, but thanks to the rush of adrenaline, she didn’t feel the pain at first, comparing the experience to a “tug-of-war.”
Other boat passengers threw oxygen tanks at the shark until it finally let go, but tragically, by that time, her legs had suffered severe injuries.
“It was when we realized how serious the situation was that we knew we had to get help quickly,” she noted.
Rescue took nearly an hour and a half before they reached the island, where a helicopter rushed her to Belize Healthcare Partners Hospital in Belize City.
With her leg amputated, Annabelle spent four months in the hospital, going through seven surgeries and battling a rare bacterial infection.
Despite the trauma, the Aspen native maintains an optimistic outlook. Just weeks after the attack, she humorously dressed as a shark attack survivor for Halloween, with a friend portraying a hungry shark.
Now, she’s returned to diving, even going on a trip during her spring break. “I feel it’s best to see the positive side of things,” she concluded.
