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Don’t hurt your neck. You read the headline correctly.
One of the Caribbean’s most iconic destinations is marked by the American Embassy.
This is hot off the presses so the Foreign Office hasn’t followed suit with their own advice, but remember that embassies usually have the most up to date information as they are on the ground in that particular region.
In this case, we won’t be like the other guys and make you read 18 paragraphs of filler material before revealing the destination.
Drumroll please….🥁🥁🥁
It’s the Bahamasa paradise island so close to the United States that it feels like an extension of home.
Well, that happened…
New reports supported by the Embassy could quickly change how you view what has long been an American mainstay, as the Bahamas is the latest vacation destination to find itself on the wrong side of the headlines.
Attacks reported in 4 Bahamian destinations
We were as shocked as you were in 2024 when we reported a major increase in violence, even though officials came out and disputed that claim.
These examples were largely found in Nassau, the vibrant capital that is usually your welcome partner in one of the Caribbean’s most sought-after beach vacations.
But now that we’re halfway through 2026, there’s another shock: reports of sexual assault in five different places. all with a common theme.
The U.S. Embassy is warning Americans (especially women) against renting jet skis across the country “due to lack of enforcement of safety regulations.”
It has been confirmed that between 2024 and now, there have been a total of seven reports of sexual assault in the following destinations:
- Paradise island
- Junkanoo Beach
- Saunders Beach
- Kool beach
By all accounts, male guides have rented jet skis and sexually assaulted women at the above locations on isolated islands, making it easier to commit such a crime.
The embassy advises travelers not to accept rides from these so-called guides and not to rent jet skis in the Bahamas at this time – point blank, period.
Additional security concerns
It’s not just sexual violence that is currently deteriorating the image of Bahamas excursions; it is also about safety in general due to poorly enforced regulations.
Two more incidents have been confirmed by the embassy, one of which was unfortunately fatal:
- In August 2025, an American tourist on a jet ski was killed off Paradise Island after being struck by an unlicensed operator driving an unregistered boat.
- As of August 2024, a total of six U.S. citizens have been hospitalized after jet ski accidents in the Bahamas, with three requiring emergency medical evacuations to the United States.
It’s another example of why the embassy is urging Americans to avoid jet ski rentals entirely.
To show how serious the government is about this, U.S. government employees on site in the Bahamas are not allowed to use jet skis on the islands of New Providence and Paradise.
Tips to stay safe
To stay safe, the embassy has also released a small list of helpful tips for staying safe in the Bahamas given these specific events, the first of which I think we’ve forgotten:
- Don’t rent jet skis in the Bahamas
- Stay informed of requests from jet ski operators near the cruise port, Junkanoo Beach and Arawak Cay, as well as the small islands east of Paradise Island
- Please note that regulations prohibit the rental of jet skis to persons under 18 years of age Sellers are not allowed to ride with renters
- Always follow local weather reports and maritime warnings
How embassy statistics compare to our security index
We’ve already covered the locations and reported crimes, but what are travelers actually saying about the Bahamas?
No matter how much information the embassy has shared, sometimes the best mood check comes from people who were just there.
Shocking, I know – sometimes ordinary people are obvious to the government…
According to our Safety Index tool, you’ll also see some surprising results.
With a score of just 75/100, travelers report a mixed bag of atmosphere across the country, with no specific incident reports.
Nassau, however, is a different story. Curiously, ranking higher than the country itself, there are a few incident reports for the topics of harassment and theft, still resulting in a high score of 83/100 overall.
View both destinations below:
