Embassy warns Americans to avoid Bahamas Jet Ski rentals

The U.S. Embassy in Nassau issued a security alert Monday, urging American tourists to avoid Jet Ski rentals in the Bahamas, citing a pattern of fatalities, injuries and sexual assaults linked to unlicensed watercraft operators.

Ambassador Herschel Walker, the former NFL star appointed to the post, released a public service announcement alongside the alert.

“I need to warn you about some serious dangers associated with renting jet skis and small watercraft and swimming at beaches where jet skis and small watercraft are being operated in shallow waters, particularly around Nassau and Paradise Island,” Mr. Walker said.

The advisory warns that “rogue operators” — described as unlicensed, uninsured and operating unsafe watercraft — actively solicit tourists on Nassau’s most popular beaches, including Cabbage Beach, Junkanoo Beach and Saunders Beach. The embassy said oversight of those rental areas is sporadic at best.

“We’ve lost American lives to preventable accidents. Multiple visitors have been hospitalized,” Mr. Walker said in the video. “Americans have also been sexually assaulted by jet ski operators who take victims to isolated islands.”

The embassy reported that since August 2024, six U.S. citizens have been hospitalized from Jet Ski accidents, three of whom required emergency medical evacuation to the United States. On the sexual assault front, the embassy said two American women reported assaults by Jet Ski operators in 2025, and two more such reports have already been filed in 2026, following three in 2024.

The warning comes in the wake of the August 2025 death of Alaska Air National Guard 2nd Lt. Robert Rosa, an active-duty service member killed during a Nassau vacation when an unlicensed operator driving an unregistered boat struck his watercraft off Paradise Island.

Because of the risks, U.S. government employees stationed in the Bahamas are already prohibited from renting or riding Jet Skis on New Providence and Paradise islands.

The Bahamas remains under a Level 2 travel advisory from the State Department, directing travelers to exercise increased caution. Mr. Walker said the embassy is working with the Bahamian government to address the issue but urged visitors not to wait for those efforts to bear fruit.

“For now, consider all the risks before you get on a jet ski in the Bahamas,” he said. “Your safety matters. If you need help, contact the embassy immediately.”