US Embassy Issues Stark Warning: Women Cautioned on Jet Ski Rentals in Nassau Amid Assault Reports

If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

American women visiting Nassau, Bahamas, have been hit with a firm warning by the U.S. Embassy: think twice before renting jet skis. The embassy sounded the alarm after a series of reported sexual assaults tied to jet ski operators in the island's capital.

According to the alert posted on the embassy's website, several American women have allegedly been raped or sexually assaulted by male jet ski operators. The warning comes on the heels of two U.S. women reporting rapes in the past month alone—adding to three similar cases from last year.

The details are unsettling. Victims recounted being picked up from popular beaches—spanning from Junkanoo Beach to Saunders Beach and Cabbage Beach—only to be assaulted on isolated islands near New Providence. These incidents point to a troubling pattern targeting women in what are supposed to be idyllic vacation spots.

The safety concerns don't stop at sexual assault. Since August of last year, four Americans were hospitalized due to jet ski accidents in the area, with two requiring emergency evacuations back to the U.S. Jet skis in Nassau are starting to sound less like vacation fun and more like a hazard course.

Given these risks, the U.S. government has outright banned its employees in the Bahamas from renting or using jet skis on both New Providence and Paradise Islands. The embassy is advising American tourists to skip jet ski rentals, stay alert around Nassau beaches, keep an eye out in public restrooms, and heed local weather and marine alerts. A little less "island adventure," a lot more "beach reading," perhaps.

The State Department currently maintains a Level 2 Travel Advisory for the Bahamas—alongside Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Netherlands Antilles, and Turks and Caicos—urging travelers to "be aware of heightened risks to safety and security."

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation has yet to weigh in on the embassy's warning.