Colorado teen recalls moment two sharks ripped off her leg a year after brutal Belize attack
Annabelle Carlson, 16, recounts the August 2024 shark attack off Belize and her medical journey in a NewsNation interview.
A Colorado teenager who was mauled by two sharks during a family scuba trip off Belize last year recalled the moment she realized she had lost her leg.
Annabelle Carlson, 16, was on a diving excursion in the Gulf of Honduras, about three hours off the coast of Belize, in August 2024 when she was bitten. The attack followed her and her siblings deciding to jump from the boat; witnesses say a reef shark emerged from under the vessel and began biting her hands.
"My leg was pretty much gone … it was kind of just bone from right below my knee to my ankle," Carlson said in a Friday interview with NewsNation. She described how she fought back, swatting at the shark and throwing a life ring toward herself as the group scrambled to pull her from the water.
That’s when the second shark attacked. Carlson said the shark sank its teeth into her right leg, but adrenaline kept her from feeling pain. She described the moment as a rough, ongoing tug-of-war as her boatmates and other boaters tossed oxygen tanks toward her to distract the animals until she could be pulled aboard. Once pulled from the water, her injuries were stark: both hands damaged and her right leg shredded.
It took nearly an hour and a half for the boat to reach an island, where a helicopter then carried Carlson to Belize Healthcare Partners hospital in Belize City. Doctors amputated her leg, and she spent four months in the hospital, undergoing seven surgeries and battling a rare bacterial infection.
Despite the trauma, Carlson has remained optimistic and has even used humor to cope. Weeks after the amputation, she dressed as a shark attack survivor for Halloween, with a friend portraying the hungry shark. She has since returned to the water, going scuba diving again for spring break, saying she tries to focus on the positive side of things.
Carlson, a native of Aspen, Colorado, described the long road to recovery and the support from her family and community. The incident occurred during a family vacation, and the young diver has continued to share her story to raise awareness about shark encounters and recovery after severe injuries.
On Friday, Carlson emphasized resilience and the importance of seeking help quickly when injuries are serious. She noted that the experience has not deterred her from returning to the water, illustrating a broader narrative about adaptation and recovery after life-changing incidents in the ocean.