BIMINI BAY, Bahamas — Two Florida women are recovering after they say they were attacked by a shark while swimming in The Bahamas.
The reported attack, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, occurred on Friday around 6:30 p.m. in the waters of Bimini Bay, a popular tourist destination in the western Bahamas renowned for its pristine beaches and fishing. Authorities in Bimini are investigating the reported attack, police said in a statement.
WATCH BELOW: Florida women survive shark attack in the Bahamas
Rileigh Decker, 20, and Summer Layman, 24, were on a boat ride in the waters off the coast of The Bahamas when they decided to jump in together, they told NBC's "The Today Show" from an Orlando area hospital room. NBC did not identify where in Florida the women live.
"We're just very grateful to still be here — with all of our limbs," Decker said.
Decker said she felt something nudge her leg when they were in the water.
"I felt my leg get tugged down, and I immediately knew I was bit by a shark," she said.
The women were initially treated at a local clinic before being airlifted to a hospital in New Providence for further care, the police said.
"I just put my head in my hands and started praying that God wouldn't take my life and that I would live," Decker said. "It was very scary."
Layman suffered a bite on her foot, while Decker's injuries were more severe, though both are expecting to make a full recovery, NBC reported.
"Typically, you don't get off that easy," Layman said.
CNN has reached out to the Royal Bahamas Police Force for comment.
Unprovoked shark attacks are rare in the Bahamas, with just 34 recorded since 1580, according to the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File. This ranks the Caribbean country ninth among all tracked countries, with the US leading at 1,640 cases, followed by Australia with 706 and South Africa with 262, the data shows.
However, last week’s incident is at least the third reported shark attack involving American tourists in the Bahamas since 2023.
In January 2024, a 10-year-old boy from Maryland was bitten while participating in a shark tank expedition at a resort on Paradise Island, the police said. In December 2023, a 44-year-old woman from Boston was fatally attacked by a shark while paddleboarding near a beach resort.
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