US Embassy warns Americans to avoid popular beach activity in the Bahamas

Authorities are warning Americans about jet ski excursions in the Bahamas after reports of sexual assaults and accidents.

In a security alert June 15, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau advised travelers about "the risks of operating or accepting rides from operators of jet skis due to the lack of enforcement of safety regulations in the Bahamas." The alert urged Americans to avoid renting jet skis in the Caribbean country and to be wary of solicitations from operators, specifically near the Cruise Port, Junkanoo Beach, Arawak Cay and the islands east of Paradise Island.

Last year, the State Department shared a similar warning in a travel advisory about "swimming-related risks" related to jet skis and boating. The agency detailed the sexual assault reports and concerns over possibly unlicensed or uninsured operators or those who ignore weather warnings and still take people out.

The State Department did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Since 2024, the embassy has received multiple reports of Nassau-based jet ski operators sexually assaulting women who are U.S. citizens. According to the embassy, two American women reported sexual assaults in 2025, and three others reported sexual assaults in 2024.

In April 2025, The Tribune, a Bahamian media outlet, reported that two U.S. women accused local jet ski operators of rape after the tourists were taken to isolated islands and said they were assaulted. One victim was a 23-year-old cruise passenger, and the man has since been charged.

After the string of sexual assault allegations, a new law took effect in March 2026 prohibiting jet ski operators from riding with guests to reduce the opportunity "for unwanted sexual misconduct," Acting Port Controller Senior Commander Berne Wright said, according to the Tribune.

Some of the women said the male operators assaulted them after soliciting them for jet ski rides from small islands just east of Paradise Island, downtown Nassau and Paradise Island beaches, according to the security alert. The incidents reportedly took place "on isolated islands near Nassau."

The lack of regulations and enforcement has also led to safety incidents involving U.S. citizens, including a death in August 2025, the security alert added. An unlicensed operator driving an unregistered boat in the waters of Paradise Island struck an American riding a jet ski.

Since August 2024, six Americans have been hospitalized with injuries from jet ski accidents. Three of them needed emergency medical evacuations to the United States, according to the security alert.

The Bahamas, a popular cruise and vacation destination for Americans, was under a Level 2 U.S. travel advisory as of June 15 that urges visitors to “exercise increased caution” because of violent crime, including armed robberies, burglaries and sexual assaults.