Caroline DiPlacido, Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania woman and Gannon University employee & mom of three id as Bahamas shark attack fatal victim.
Dream vacation gone wrong… An individual killed by a shark while snorkelling in the Bahamas while on vacation with her family earlier this week was on Wednesday identified as a Pennsylvania college employee.
Caroline DiPlacido, 58, of Millcreek Township, worked as a project coordinator at Gannon University when she died on the water excursion Tuesday, university officials said.
DiPlacido had arrived to the Bahamas with four other family members, taking a Royal Caribbean Cruise before her party undertook an independent shore excursion to the Green Cays, a picturesque and favorite snorkelling location amongst travelers, 6ABC reported.
A 1986 graduate of the university, DiPlacido returned to campus in 2009 as a secretary for marketing and communications.
As a project coordinator, DiPlacido was active in the university’s Erie-G.A.I.N.S. Initiative and the Our West Bayfront organization.
A family vacation ended in tragedy when a Pennsylvania mother was attacked and killed by a bull shark. Caroline DiPlacido and her family arrived in the Bahamas aboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship. As the 58-year-old went snorkeling, a shark attacked her. pic.twitter.com/yUy615s9iL
— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) September 8, 2022
Independent shore excursion
‘Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship,’ said Gannon University chaplain Michael Kesicki.
‘The news in devastating, and she will be missed.’
DiPlacido is survived by her husband, David along with their three children and her mother, as well as extended family and a wide network of friends.
According to police, DiPlacido arrived in the Bahamas with four family members early Tuesday. The group was traveling on the Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas on a seven-day cruise, which departed from Florida on Sunday.
A spokesperson told CBS News that DiPlacido was attacked by a bull shark while snorkelling in the popular Green Cay area ‘on an independent shore excursion.’
Authorities were alerted to the shark attack shortly after 3 p.m. Family members tried to rescue DiPlacido, who sustained ‘serious injuries to the left side of her body.’
Royal Caribbean International later confirmed that DiPlacido died after arriving at a local hospital.
Incidence of shark attacks
‘Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time,’ the outlet said in a statement.
Gannon University said it planned to hold a vigil in DiPlacido’s memory at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
‘Let us remember Caroline with affection and hope,’ the school stated.
DiPlacido’s death is the second fatal attack in the area in recent years.
California university student Jordan Lindsey died after a school of sharks attacked her as she was snorkeling off Rose Island in June 2019 during a ‘dream vacation.’
There is a six-mile distance between the two incidents, Lindsey was attacked on the south side of Rose Island, while DiPlacido was attacked near Green Cay on the north side.
Stated, Bahamas Excursion Operators Association president Capt. Andoni Lisgaris in a release: ‘Every popular snorkeling site should be constantly patrolled by local authorities, the police department or the defense force. You’re talking about Green Cay being possibly the number one snorkel destination in The Bahamas and you never see the Defense Force or the Port Authority or Port Department patrolling or inspecting the area.’
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, ‘the United States recorded the most unprovoked shark bites in 2021, with 47 confirmed cases. This is 42 percent higher than the 33 incidents that occurred in the US in 2020.’
