The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE United States has escalated its warnings and criticism of The Bahamas’ jet ski industry, releasing a video in which Ambassador Herschel Walker said American lives have been lost, visitors have been hospitalised and Americans have been sexually assaulted by operators who took victims to isolated islands.

The US Embassy issued a new security alert warning Americans about “serious and ongoing” dangers linked to jet ski rentals in The Bahamas, citing injuries, fatalities, sexual assault reports and what it described as sporadic official oversight of rental areas.

The warning, posted yesterday on the embassy’s website, reinforced long-standing US concerns about jet ski operators in New Providence and Paradise Island.

“We've lost American lives to preventable accidents, multiple visitors have been hospitalised, Americans have also been sexually assaulted by jet ski operators who take victims to isolated islands,” Ambassador Walker said in the public service announcement posted on the embassy’s Facebook page.

“Many watercrafts are unsafe, and operators are unlicensed and uninsured. That's why US government employees are banned from renting or riding jet skis. We're working with the government of The Bahamas to address these issues, but for now, consider all the risks before you get on a jet ski in The Bahamas. Your safety matters.”

The embassy said six US citizens have been hospitalised because of jet ski accidents since August 2024, with three requiring emergency medical evacuation from The Bahamas.
It also said two US women reported sexual assaults by jet ski operators in 2025 and that two more sexual assaults have already been reported in 2026.

“Rogue operators — unlicensed, uninsured, and operating unsafe watercraft — continue to solicit tourists on Nassau’s most popular beaches, including Junkanoo Beach, Saunders Beach, and Cabbage Beach, as well as near the Cruise Port and the small islands east of Paradise Island,” the statement said. “Oversight by the authorities of these supposed ‘official’ jet ski rental areas is sporadic at best.”

The embassy also cited the death of Alaska Air National Guard Second Lieutenant Robert Rosa, who was killed in a jet ski-related incident while vacationing in New Providence in September 2025.

The latest warning comes amid continued scrutiny of the government’s jet ski task force, which was established in March 2024 to address safety and regulatory failures in the watercraft sector but has faced repeated questions about its effectiveness and level of activity.

When the task force was announced, officials presented it as a coordinated effort involving several government agencies, including law enforcement and port authorities, to strengthen monitoring of commercial recreational watercraft, improve compliance and reduce illegal operations in designated tourist areas.

Ambassador Walker acknowledged the formation of the task force but said it would have limited effect if it remained inactive. He urged the government to enforce existing regulations and strengthen accountability.

The Tribune previously reported that while the task force was formed with broad membership across relevant agencies, it has not met consistently with all members in recent periods, limiting its ability to carry out coordinated enforcement operations.

Robert Sands, senior vice-president of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, said enforcement actions have taken place, but coordination remains uneven.

“There's no question that there is still tremendous opportunity for improvement in this particular sector, and while there has been some improvement, it's not been consistent, and it has not been with the sense of urgency that we would have anticipated,” he said.

“The industry is committed to working with the enforcement agencies to ensure that there is adequate manpower compliance enforcement in the multiple areas of where these activities take place. The reality is that there have been respectable numbers of compensation, confiscations, fines, eradication of licenses, but some still more work needs to be done. There's no hiding from that fact. The industry is committed to ensuring that happens, and we will renew our efforts to ensure that it is done.”