16/01/2026
With last weeks shark attack this very informative article helps put this tragic event into perspective and has scientific information about St. Croix’s local sharks and shark behavior.
After last week's tragedy, I knew that I had to address it in some way. But, I wanted to take a measured approach and provide a respectful and informative article to bring down the temperature after a lot of hype and fear.
The tragic loss of Arlene Lillis due to a shark attack has shocked and saddened our small island community while making national news and, understandably, creating a lot of fear and panic.
I've seen so much misinformation online. So, I am breaking down the facts of what happened and providing insight from not only my own experience and education, but more importantly, from some of the very scientists who study sharks here in the waters of St Croix. (article 🔗 in comments)
Shark Conservationist and Shark Week host, Kinga Philipps, put me in touch with Dr. Greg Skomal [Atlantic White Shark Conservancy] and Dr. Grace Casselbery who have tagged and studied sharks around St Croix since 2013. Dr. Skomal is known and respected worldwide for his work tagging and studying great white sharks off Cape Cod. He's considered one of the leading experts on sharks in the US. He's also been coming to St Croix since 1972, got scuba certified here in 1975, and is still a regular visitor. In fact, he credits his time on the island as one of the inspirations for becoming a marine biologist.
Shark attacks are extremely rare in the US Virgin Islands with only four recorded deaths since 1749. Discover more about the sharks in our waters and how you can be safer at the beach and in the ocean.
My heart truly goes out to the family, loved ones, and friends of Arlene Lillis. 💔
