A 16-year-old Jamaican boy named Jahmari Reid was reportedly killed in a suspected shark attack while spearfishing off the coast of Falmouth, Jamaica on August 26, 2024.
Jahmari, a student at William Knibb Memorial High School and a resident of Trelawny, had set out alone for spearfishing, an activity he had loved since his early years. When he did not return home at the usual time, his family started to worry and a search was initiated.
According to local fisherman Christopher Reynolds, Jahmari’s body was discovered by a group of divers during a search on the following Tuesday morning. The divers noticed a large tiger shark in the vicinity of the body after they found a detached arm in the water. Efforts to shoot the shark during the recovery process were unsuccessful. A police report indicates that the victim’s head and left hand were missing when his body was found. Reynolds mentioned the intention to track down and kill the shark with the hope of retrieving Jahmari’s severed head.
“I can’t believe that he went to sea by himself… and that was the outcome,” Michael Reid, Jahmari’s father, told local media. “I feel so bad,” he added.
Jahmari’s mother, Lavern Robinson, was inconsolable and expressed her deep grief. She mentioned that Jahmari had been a sea lover since his early years and often accompanied his uncle on fishing trips. He was a tenth-grade student preparing for his eleventh grade.
Fritz Christie, President of the Falmouth Fisherfolks Benevolent Society, stated that this was the first deadly shark attack in the Trelawny area in recent memory. He hypothesized that the shark could have followed a cruise ship into the area and stayed.
While authorities continue their investigation and wait for the results of a post-mortem examination to verify if a shark was indeed behind Jahmari’s death, local fishermen are growing increasingly concerned. Despite no official confirmation, the incident has prompted calls for increased caution in the local waters.
Shark attacks are exceedingly rare in Jamaica, with only three unprovoked attacks reported since 1749. Nonetheless, this unusual event has created unease within the community as efforts to find the responsible shark persist.
