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Americans planning to escape to the sunny Bahamas have been warned after a string of women reported sexual assaults at the hands of jet ski instructors.
The US Embassy in Nassau issued a security alert on Monday warning travelers to avoid accepting rides from jet ski operators due to the lack of safety regulations that have led to multiple injuries and assaults.
'Jet ski rentals pose a serious risk of injury, death, and sexual assault. US government employees are banned from renting them — and you should avoid them too,' the embassy said.
Two female US citizens this year have already reported assaults by jet ski operators to the embassy.
There were also two American women who reported sexual assaults in 2025 and another three reports in 2024.
The embassy said that male jet ski instructors targeted women at Paradise Island and downtown Nassau, with reports at Junkanoo Beach, Saunders Beach and Cabbage Beach.
The women said they were taken to isolated parts of the island by the jet ski instructors after they were solicited for a ride.
The operators are typically unlicensed and uninsured, Ambassador Herschel Walker added in a video message.
US citizens have been warned that traveling to the Bahamas and renting a jet ski could be dangerous due to the lack of regulations (file photo)
The US Embassy in Nassau has said that there have been seven reports of sexual assault from male jet ski operators since 2024
Although the Bahamas are known for their sandy beaches and clear waters, state officials have warned that Americans should exercise caution while traveling (file photo)
In addition to the assaults, the embassy warned that there have been multiple preventable jet ski accidents that have killed or seriously injured Americans.
Since August 2024 six US citizens have been hospitalized in the Bahamas with injuries from jet ski accidents.
Second Lieutenant Robert Rosa was killed in a jet ski accident in Nassau last year
Three of those citizens were transported to the US for emergency medical evaluations.
In 2025 a member of the Alaska Air National Guard was killed in a jet ski accident while on vacation in Nassau.
Second Lieutenant Robert Rosa, 41, died after he was knocked unconscious while riding a jet ski off the coast of Paradise Island. He was struck by an unlicensed operator driving an unregistered boat.
'The US Embassy is working with the Bahamian government to address the persistence of deaths, injuries and sexual assaults associated with the minimally regulated small watercraft industry,' US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Kimberly Furnish said in a statement at the time.
The embassy has advised travelers to avoid renting jet skis and beware of solicitors near the Cruise Port, Junkanoo Beach, Arawak Cay, and Paradise Island.
Minors under the age of 18 are not permitted to ride with renters, so vacationers shouldavoid instructors ignoring this regulation.
Victims of the assault have said that the jet ski operators will solicit them for a ride before transporting them to an isolated area
Ambassador Herschel Walker warned Americans in a video message not to rent jet skis while vacationing in the Bahamas
Jet ski instructors in the Bahamas are often unlicensed and unregistered, which has led to assaults, injuries and deaths
There is a level-two travel advisory for the Bahamas from the US Department of State.
A level-two advisory is the second-lowest of four alerts. State officials advise that travelers to the tropical island exercise increased caution due to crime levels.
'Violent crime, like armed robberies, burglaries, and sexual assaults, can occur anywhere in The Bahamas,' the state department said.
Officials warned that the area of the island known as 'Over the Hill,' which is south of Shirley Street in Nassau, has been a hotspot for gang activity, and people have been killed.
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