British tourists are aware and can talk to Peter Smith about shark attacks in Tobago

A British man seriously injured in a shark attack off the coast of a Caribbean island is responsive and able to talk in the intensive care unit, his wife told media. On Friday morning, Peter Smith, 64, of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, who was 10 meters off the shore near the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay on the north coast of Tobago, was attacked by a bull shark on Friday morning, according to The Guardian.

According to the BBC, his wife Joanna Smith said Smith suffered injuries to his left arm and leg, a laceration to his stomach and lacerations to his right arm. “Peter suffered damage to his left arm and leg, lacerations to his stomach and injuries to his right arm, the full extent of which is still being assessed,” he said.

He is currently “stable” at Scarborough General Hospital in Tobago after undergoing surgery on Sunday. Hospital doctors are now deciding on “the future course of treatment”, he said.

“As of 9am local time this morning, Peter is aware of what is happening and is able to communicate a little, although he is still under strong medication,” he said in a statement to the BBC. He also thanked his two friends who remained in the water during the attack to fight off the shark, which was 8 feet to 10 feet long and 2 feet wide.

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The couple were on holiday with friends and were about to head home on the day of the attack. According to The Guardian, several beaches and coastal areas were closed immediately after the attack and a $10,000 reward was offered to anyone who caught the shark, but it was later withdrawn.

Orion Zakerov, watersports manager at Starfish Resort, witnessed the incident and said Smith was waist-deep in water when the shark attacked. “There were other people in the water trying to physically fight off the shark when it attacked,” he told Sky News.