On May 25, 2026 — Memorial Day — a teenager sustained a shark bite in offshore waters near Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico. Multiple sources, including the U.S. Coast Guard, confirmed the incident. Two sources identified the victim as 17 years old; no further demographic details were made available. The victim was aboard a boat at the time of the encounter, and at least one source reported the individual was airlifted to a trauma center for treatment.

The injury was non-fatal. The victim was hospitalized and received medical care for wounds described in reports as significant. The shark species involved was not identified in any of the available sources. No additional details regarding the precise offshore location, depth, or circumstances of the bite were confirmed across the reporting.

Galveston is a barrier island city situated along the upper Texas Gulf Coast. The Gulf of Mexico waters off the island are periodically frequented by multiple shark species common to the western Gulf, though no species attribution was made in connection with this incident.