The United States Embassy in Nassau has issued a renewed security alert urging American travelers to avoid renting jet skis in The Bahamas, citing a pattern of fatal accidents, serious injuries and sexual assaults linked to unregulated watercraft operators on the islands’ most popular beaches.
The warning was accompanied by a video message from US Ambassador Herschel Walker, who told American visitors directly that the embassy has documented preventable deaths, hospitalizations and assaults connected to jet ski rentals around Nassau and Paradise Island.
A pattern of preventable accidents
According to the embassy, six US citizens have been hospitalized since August 2024 after jet ski accidents in the Bahamas, with three requiring emergency medical evacuation back to the United States. In August 2025, an active duty member of the Alaska Air National Guard, Second Lieutenant Robert Rosa, was killed off Paradise Island after an unlicensed operator driving an unregistered boat struck his watercraft while he was on vacation.
The embassy says these incidents stem from a long-running lack of enforcement in the islands’ jet ski rental industry. Rogue operators, described as unlicensed, uninsured and using watercraft that does not meet safety standards, continue to approach tourists near the cruise port and at beaches including Junkanoo Beach, Saunders Beach, Cabbage Beach and Arawak Cay, as well as on the small islands east of Paradise Island.
Sexual assault reports increasing
The alert also details a rise in sexual assault reports tied to jet ski operators. The embassy says two US citizen women reported assaults in 2026, following two reports in 2025 and three in 2024. Victims told officials they were solicited for jet ski rides on popular beaches before being taken to isolated islands near New Providence.
Because of these risks, US government employees stationed in the Bahamas are banned from renting or riding jet skis on New Providence and Paradise Island, a restriction the embassy is now extending as advice to the general public.
Bahamas travel advisory status
The Bahamas remains under a Level 2 “Exercise Increased Caution” travel advisory from the US State Department, a designation it shares with nearby destinations including Turks and Caicos, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The advisory cites concerns over crime, including armed robbery and sexual assault, in both tourist areas and urban centers such as Nassau and Freeport.
Bahamian law already prohibits jet ski rentals to anyone under 16 and bars operators from riding along with renters, but the embassy notes these rules are inconsistently enforced. A jet ski task force established last year has not yet held a meeting, prompting Ambassador Walker to call on the Bahamian government to activate it and enforce existing regulations.
What travelers should know
- Avoid renting jet skis or accepting rides from unlicensed operators in the Bahamas
- Be cautious of solicitors near the cruise port and at popular beaches such as Junkanoo Beach, Saunders Beach and Cabbage Beach
- Always check local weather and marine alerts before any water activity
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at step.state.gov for security updates
- Contact the embassy’s American Citizen Emergency Line for assistance while in the Bahamas
Industry response
The warning has drawn pushback from Bahamian jet ski operators, who argue the alert is overly broad and could cost the industry up to 40 percent of bookings during peak tourist season. Industry representatives have called for stronger enforcement and a functioning task force rather than a blanket advisory, while the embassy says it remains willing to work with Bahamian resort operators and businesses to improve safety standards.
Photo Credit: Sven Hansche / Shutterstock.com
