A 17-year-old was reportedly rushed to the hospital Monday afternoon after suffering serious injuries from a shark bite while on a boat offshore near Galveston, Texas.
Around 3:15 p.m. local time, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding the emergency and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance, according to NBC affiliate Click2Houston, People and ABC News.
Coast Guard officials told ABC News that the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office notified them of a boat with the teenager and his father on board. Officials added that the 17-year-old was bitten while trying to bring the shark on board.
Global News has reached out to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, Galveston Island Beach Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard for further comment, but has not received a response.
After the teen suffered the shark bite, his father immediately applied a tourniquet, authorities told the outlet.
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The boy, his father, and a third person were believed to have been offshore for several hours before contacting authorities when their boat became disabled while returning to the Galveston Yacht Basin, according to People. It is currently unknown what caused the boat to become disabled.
Once U.S. Coast Guard officials were on the scene, they applied a second tourniquet to the injured teen in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
The 17-year-old was conscious and alert during the rescue, ABC News reported.
He was transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for treatment, according to CBS News affiliate KHOU 11.
Officials have not said what kind of shark was involved or provided details about where on the body the teen was bitten.
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) investigated 105 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2025.
ISAF confirmed 65 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 29 provoked bites, which occur when a human initiates interaction with a shark in some way.
The 2025 worldwide total of 65 confirmed unprovoked cases is in line with the most recent five-year (2020 to 2024) average of 61 incidents annually, according to the ISAF.
The ISAF said that the United States recorded the most unprovoked shark bites in 2025, with 25 confirmed cases.
Earlier this year, beaches in Sydney and dozens more along Australia’s east coast were closed after four people were attacked by sharks in two days.
The closures were announced after a man was bitten while surfing near Point Plomer, about 450 kilometres north of Sydney, in January.
According to New South Wales police, the 39-year-old sustained a wound to his chest after a shark bit his surfboard. The man was sent to a hospital where he was treated and later discharged, authorities confirmed, adding that four beaches in the area were closed following the attack.
In the wake of back-to-back incidents, beach authorities advised locals to stay away from the shore.
“If you’re thinking about going for a swim, think of going to a local pool because at this stage, we’re advising that beaches are unsafe,” Steven Pearce, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving New South Wales, told reporters.
Australia typically sees around 20 shark attacks per year, with fewer than three of those being fatalities, according to data from conservation groups.
—with files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
