Number 12 Andrew Charles Eddy
Shortly after entering the water at Sombrero Reef, in the Florida Keys,
30-year-old snorkeler Andrew Charles Eddy was attacked by a shark. Eddy and his wife, Margot,
were on a motorboat alongside other members of their family. The predatory fish, believed to have
been a bull shark, bit into the man’s shoulder and latched on to him with its powerful jaws.
From the boat, Margot saw the shark’s dorsal fin and blood filing the water. Even though she was
pregnant at the time, the woman jumped in without hesitation and swam to her husband’s rescue. The
shark relinquished its attack and Margot helped her husband return to the boat. He was airlifted
to a Miami hospital, in critical condition, but doctors eventually managed to stabilize Eddy
and treat his severe shoulder injuries. Number 11 Jordan Lindsey
While snorkeling in the Bahamas, Californian woman Jordan Lindsey was killed in a brutal
shark attack. The 21-year-old and her mother, Kami, were exploring the waters near Rose Island
when the attack unfolded. The women were only a few feet apart as three sharks charged Jordan
and started tearing into her body. Her right arm was ripped clean off and she sustained
devastating bites on her left arm, buttocks and legs. After the horrific attack, Kami managed
to pull her back to shore and she was taken to a hospital. Unfortunately, the young woman’s
injuries proved too severe and she was pronounced dead. A shark expert investigating the incident
claimed that the sharks behavior wasn’t normal and that the attack might’ve been triggered
by chum being dumped in the water nearby. Number 10 Sergey Lykhvar
Four days after he was reported missing the body of a Russian tourist was recovered in the waters
of Raja Ampat islands, in West Papua. Sergey Lykhvar would usually go snorkeling with friends
and a guide but, the morning of his disappearance, the man had decided to explore a portion of the
Indonesian Archipelago alone. The region was described as dangerous due to strong currents,
jagged rocks and ferocious natural predators. When search and rescue teams found Lykhvar’s body,
they noticed a saltwater crocodile trailing behind. The Russian man had been killed by
the hyper-carnivorous predator, which had inflicted gruesome injuries in the form of
gaping wounds and torn body parts. Number 9 Mark Thomson-Tur
In April of 2018, 60-year-old Mark Thomson-Tur was found unconscious,
floating face down off Round Island, in the archipelagic island country of The Seychelles.
He’d drowned following a freak snorkeling accident. Thomson-Tur and his wife, Fiona,
had embarked on a week-long sailing adventure aboard a ship called the Seabird. After it moored
off one of the islands, the couple separated from their group to go snorkeling in the calm, clear
waters. At some point during their swim, Fiona went to check on her husband who told her he was
all right but that his snorkeling mask had a leak. She then returned to check on him a second time
but the man was nowhere to be found. Fiona then heard someone in their group shouting for help.
Thomson-Tur was found floating about 200 feet away from the other tourists. The man drowned after his
snorkeling mask had filled up with water. Number 8 Crocodile Attack
While swimming in a bay of Lizard Island, off the Great Barrier Reef, an unnamed man was bitten on
the head by a crocodile. The incident took place in September of 2020 and the victim is
believed to have worked for the luxury Lizard Island Resort, which was closed at the time due
to pandemic restrictions. The 33-year-old was snorkeling about 160 feet from the shore when
the massive reptile attacked him. The saltwater crocodile, which has the highest measured bite
force in the animal kingdom, clamped its jaws on the man’s head. Fortunately the 7-foot reptile
gave up on the attack rather quickly. The man miraculously survived the ordeal and was
treated at the scene for neck and head injuries. Afterwards, he was sent to Cairns Base Hospital,
where he was expected to fully recover. Number 7 Humpback Whale Attack
In August of 2020, a group of tourists were snorkeling at Western Australia’s Ningaloo
Reef when they encountered a female humpback whale and its calf. The 50-foot animal charged the group
and started flicking its tail out of the water and swiping it at them. One swimmer was flung out of
the water while another was left with a torn hamstring. An unnamed 29-year-old UK tourist
was struck so hard by the whale that she sustained broken ribs and suffered internal
bleeding. She was taken to Royal Perth Hospital in serious condition but her injuries weren’t deemed
life-threatening. An investigation followed which determined that the incident had been a “freak
accident” as the tour operators had respected the rules of giving humpback whales a wide
berth. The mother whale had mostly likely felt threatened by the presence of other predators,
possibly great white sharks or orcas. Number 6 Ayllie White
In 2016, Ayllie White and her husband were exploring the waters off Fitzroy Island,
about 12 miles east of Cairns, Australia. The couple was snorkeling when the woman felt a
tingling sensation on her neck. Within minutes, it turned to a searing pain. White knew something was
wrong and told her husband she was swimming back to shore. The woman had been stung by
an Irukandji jellyfish, one of the most venomous creatures in the world. A box jellyfish species,
the Irukandji’s venomous sting has been determined as being over 100 times
more potent than that of a cobra’s. It causes excruciating muscle cramps, elevated heart rate
and blood pressure as well as severe pain in the back and kidneys. White felt her limbs heavy,
tightness across her chest and she struggled to breathe. She was taken to Cairns Hospital,
where the toxicology team was well-versed in dealing with Irukandji stings.
Thanks to their combined expertise, White made a quick recovery. She later said that the incident
hadn’t put her off snorkeling. Number 5 Richard Martyn Turner
In 2019, British tourist Richard Martyn Turner was snorkeling in the Hermitage Lagoon at Réunion
Island, in the Indian Ocean. At the time, the 44-year-old and his wife were staying at one
of the island’s five-star resorts. The area he was exploring, which was several yards from the shore,
had been deemed safe for swimming. This was due to a coral barrier which separated the lagoon’s
shallow waters from the ocean. Nevertheless, Turner disappeared while snorkeling and his
wife consequently reported him missing. Four tiger sharks were later found swimming in the coral reef
area. They were killed and, as one of the beasts was cut open, its stomach revealed a severed
human hand, with a wedding ring still attached to the finger. Turner’s wife was shown the ring and
recognized it as belonging to her husband. The man was described as a strong swimmer and it’s still
unclear whether he’d drowned before being eaten by the shark or if an attack had claimed his life.
Number 4 British Backpackers In October of 2019, two British
backpackers became the victims of a brutal shark attack while snorkeling in Queensland, Australia.
They were on a boat with 20 other passengers that headed for the Withsunday Islands, near the Great
Barrier Reef. A bull shark attacked a 22-year-old man as he was swimming near the boat, causing
severe injuries to his calf. The predatory fish then returned and unleashed another attack, on
a 28-year-old man. Two paramedics aboard the boat treated the victims until they reached the shore
and were flown to a hospital. The bite sustained by the second man had been so brutal that his foot
had to be amputated. In the aftermath of their respective surgeries, the doctors reported the
condition of both men as stable. Number 3 Darlin Uti
On April the 12th of 2019, Indonesian man Darlin Uti was snorkeling in a murky river,
near his home, as he tried to fix a broken underwater pipe.
He’d improvised a snorkel from a hose, the opposite end of which was held by his sister.
While working on the pipe, Uti was attacked by a large crocodile. Once it clamped its jaws on the
30-year-old’s crotch, the beast started thrashing around. Uti’s sister tried pulling on the hose,
in an effort to save him, but was powerless against the crocodile. Uti was dragged to the
depths of the river. Indonesian authorities and villagers from Kinapani Village,
alongside the river, put together a search party. The following day they spotted the crocodile
emerging from the water with Uti’s body still in its jaws. The corpse was mostly intact, aside
from a gaping wound in the crotch region, which had possibly caused him to bleed out. The body
was eventually recovered and returned to Uti’s family so that they could organize a funeral.
Today's topic was requested by House of Tracks. If you have any other topics you'd
like to learn about, subscribe & let us know in the comments section below
Number 2 Carter Viss
On Thanksgiving Day, 2019, Carter Viss was snorkeling with a friend off the coast of
Palm Beach, Florida. While in the water, the 25-year-old marine biologist was struck by
a Yellowfin speedboat. The vessel’s propeller inflicted devastating injuries. Viss’ legs were
severely cut up, his left wrist was broken and his right arm was severed off below
the elbow. A firefighter later recovered the detached limb as it was floating in the water.
In spite of sustaining life-threatening injuries, Viss had remained conscious throughout his ordeal.
He was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach and placed in a medically-induced coma.
Various fixators were then surgically applied to his legs and remaining arm. A few days after
he was admitted, his breathing tube was removed and he was able to talk to his family. One of
the first things that the young man said, upon waking up, was “I swam as fast as I could”. It’s
still unclear what legal repercussions, if any, the speedboat’s driver would be facing.
Number 1 James Okkerse In October of 2015,
James Okkerse disappeared while snorkeling with friends in Florida’s Blue Spring State Park.
One of his companions had seen the 62-year-old man floating face-down in the water, before he
vanished beneath the surface, while still wearing his mask and snorkel. A day earlier, the presence
of a 12-foot alligator in the water had caused a park’s swimming area to close down. Several hours
after he’d been declared missing by his friends, Okkerse’s body was found at the bottom of a river.
A medical examiner would later confirm that Okkerse’s injuries were consistent with an
alligator attack. Floridian wildlife authorities subsequently shot and killed the massive beast.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather go snorkeling in shark-infested waters or spend
24 hours buried up to your neck in the Sahara Desert? Let us know in the comments section below!