The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas on Monday warned American visitors and residents to avoid renting jet skis after reporting deaths, injuries and alleged sexual assaults linked to operators on Nassau's busiest beaches.
The advisory singled out Cabbage Beach, Junkanoo Beach and Saunders Beach and cautioned travelers to beware of solicitors near the Cruise Port. "The Embassy advises all U.S. citizens to avoid renting jet skis in The Bahamas, beware of solicitors near the Cruise Port and popular beaches, and always follow local weather and marine alerts," the Embassy said.
The Embassy said rogue operators are soliciting tourists on Nassau's most popular beaches and that many of those operators are often unlicensed, uninsured and using unsafe watercraft. It added that law enforcement oversight in those areas is sporadic at best.
Separately, a public service video released Monday by Herschel Walker reiterated the Embassy's warning. "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," Walker said, adding: "We've lost American lives to preventable accidents." He said "Multiple visitors have been hospitalized," that American citizens have been sexually assaulted by jet ski operators who allegedly took victims to isolated islands, and that "many watercraft are unsafe and operators are unlicensed and uninsured." Walker also stressed: "That's why U.S. government employees are banned from renting or riding jet skis," and advised, "But, for now, consider all the risks before you get on a jet ski in the Bahamas,"
The warning places immediate limits on common beach activities in Nassau and Paradise Island, popular stops for cruise passengers and sun-seeking tourists. Beaches named in the advisory are among the island chain's busiest, where rental stands and street solicitors have long operated alongside licensed tour vendors.
That contrast—high tourist demand where formal oversight is patchy—lies at the center of the Embassy's message. The public notice and Walker's PSA compress two points: that some operators appear to be running without proper licensing or insurance, and that incidents severe enough to produce deaths, hospitalizations and reports of sexual assault have occurred.
What the Embassy did not provide were totals. The notice cites deaths, injuries and reported sexual assaults tied to jet ski operators but does not list how many victims, nor when the incidents occurred. That absence leaves a crucial gap for travelers and officials trying to gauge how widespread the problem is.
Officials said the United States is working with the Bahamian government to address the issues, but the advisory offered no timeline for increased enforcement or other fixes. For now the practical steps in the Embassy notice are simple and urgent: avoid jet ski rentals, steer clear of solicitors near the Cruise Port and popular beaches, and follow local weather and marine alerts.
The sharper question left by Monday's advisory is whether Bahamian authorities will quickly step up licensing, inspections and patrols on the beaches named in the warning — and whether that will be enough to restore safe operations for visitors. Until officials provide numbers or a clear enforcement plan, the Embassy's message stands as the clearest instruction for Americans planning beach activities in the Bahamas: do not rent jet skis there.
