Major update on health of Brit Peter Smith, 64, mauled by shark in Caribbean as wife reveals friends ‘battled’ predator

A BRITISH tourist who was mauled by a shark in the Caribbean is "aware of what is happening and can communicate", his wife has said.

Peter Smith, 64, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was savaged 10 metres off the shore near the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay on the north coast of Tobago on Friday morning.

He suffered damage to his left arm and leg, puncture wounds to the abdomen and injuries to his right hand, the full extent of which are still being evaluated after the attack by a bull shark.

He was in a "stable" condition in Scarborough General Hospital in Tobago on Sunday after undergoing surgery.

His wife Jo said in a statement through the BBC: "As of 9am local time today, Peter is aware of what is happening and is able to communicate a little, although he is still under strong medication."

She thanked "two friends" who remained in the water during the attack to "battle" the shark, estimated to be 8ft to 10ft long and 2ft wide.

The couple had been holidaying on the island with friends and were due to fly home that day.

The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family.

Several beaches and coastal areas were closed and a $10,000 (£8,000) bounty previously offered to anyone who could capture the shark was later retracted.

It was revealed on Friday evening that Peter's fingers had been "re-attached" but "extensive work" was still needed on one of his legs.

Tobago's chief secretary Farley Augustine said the tourist was "doing well" and was being kept under sedation in the intensive care unit.

Mr Augustine explained: "Some re-attachments were done, of fingers for example, and hopefully that will save those fingers.

"We know that there’s significant wounds on one of his legs that cannot be completely closed, but he will require extensive work.

"The task at this time for our health professionals is really to stabilise and ensure that we can save life and limb as much as possible."

There was still "extensive work" to be completed, he said, but "we expect him to recover from the incident".

Mr Augustine continued: "This was his last swim before departing Tobago to the United Kingdom and it’s regrettable that this happened on his very last day vacationing on island."

Witnesses said Peter was only in waist-deep water when he was attacked, and that people nearby tried to chase off the predator.

Stephanie Wright, from West Sussex, said: "We saw some people on the beach, and I originally thought the gentleman had had a cardiac arrest, and I thought they were helping him.

"And then I saw someone running down with a towel, and then I saw a dorsal fin come out of the water and thought, 'Oh my God, it's a shark.'

"As it turned, I saw the tail come out as well, as it swam off."

Last year, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

HORROR ATTACKS

The brutal attack off Tobago followed another incident where a teenage boy was mauled by a great white shark while fishing.

The teen was bitten on the leg off a beach in South Australia - and subsequently rushed to hospital - having reeled the beast in from a small fishing boat.

Last Saturday, another man was rushed to hospital in Australia after falling victim to a shark attack.

The beachgoer was bitten at the Bombie Surfing Spot near Exmouth in Western Australia about midday.

Cops said paramedics only learned of the horror attack when the man turned up at a hospital for treatment.

He was immediately admitted and later declared to be in a stable condition.

A local surfer said he was "shocked" to hear what had happened but it was "all part of the game" of surfing, the  reported.

Other beachgoers and surfers were advised to take additional caution and adhere to beach closures.