Who Is Rohinda Bhandari? Wall Street Executive’s Fiancé Speaks About Fatal Shark Attack

The fiancé of a woman who was killed in a shark attack last week said he feels the diving company she was with did not do enough to keep her safe. Rohina Bhandari, 49, was killed by a tiger shark Thursday while diving off the coast of Costa Rica.

“Apparently they didn’t have any protection,” Jeffrey Rosenthal told the New York Post in an interview Monday. “The divers or the instructors had nothing to ward off any of these fish, sharks.”

Bhandari was a senior private-equity director for WL Ross & Co. in New York City and lived on the Upper East Side. She previously worked at PineBridge Investments and Credit Suisse Group, according to her LinkedIn profile. An avid diver, she went on past excursions to Jamaica, the Galapagos Islands and the Bahamas. Rosenthal, a plastic surgeon, and Bhandari were engaged to be married.

Bhandari was diving with a group of friends off the remote Isla del Coco last week when she was attacked. The trip to the island was reportedly organized by a private company, though it was unclear which company it was. She sustained bites on her legs and was dragged out of the water, according to reports from the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

A 26-year-old diving guide present on the trip said he attempted to scare off the animal as it approached. Other people also tried to get the shark to leave the area, he said, though by that point it was too late.

“Upon reaching the surface, the attack on the tourist was already serious,” Q Costa Rica News reported.

A diving instructor was also severely injured in the attack, according to reports, but survived and was in stable condition.

“I don’t understand that aspect of it, that there was no protection for her or for the other guests for that matter,” said Rosenthal. “I just feel that the safety precautions the took were not as good as they should have had.”

Rosenthal remembered Bhandari as a “10-star person” and called her “the brightest” among a universe of stars. He recalled her love of wildlife and fish and said she often enjoyed going on dives such as the one in Costa Rica.

“She was someone who befriended everyone,” he said.