Cancun Shark Attack

[TraceyUk]

Has anyone else heard reports about a woman being attacked by a shark today- in front of the sunset hotel in Cancun?

[CancunCanuck]

Just read the news....

Diario de Yucatán - Medio ambiente

[TraceyUk]

Yikes- its the pool for me !

[Gringation]

No way!! Crazy!

[V]

From the article it appears that some people thought the shark was giving birth, and a crowd of swimmers came too close for comfort. In any case, it's unsettling for something like this to happen.

Sharks and such are never far from my mind when I swim in the sea. For what it's worth, I keep a wary eye, and would never dream of getting closer than I could avoid, while swimming on the surface. (When diving, it's a different matter, it seems.)

People who've lived here a long time tell me it's the first attack they've ever heard of: hope the next one is equally long in coming.

[meanestkitty]

That is pretty scary news there.

[elleboogs]

Ahhhhhhh!! Sorry for my french, but this scares the crap out of me!!! I've been told a million times that this doesn't happen here, and now?? EEEK. I mean I suppose I was a tad naive to believe it couldn't or wouldn't....

I feel terrible for the victim, and her family. I hope she will be alright!!

[Life_N_Cancun]

OUT OF THE WATER!!! OUT OF THE WATER!!! YOU'LL SURELY BE EATEN BY SHARKS!!!!...

of' course you'll be perfectly safe driving your car and eating that 3,000 calorie grease-burger.. but Lord' O' Mighty you best stay out of the water! Least you become one of the almost 60 people (out of 6,897,105,892) a year to be "attacked" by a shark.... yep... let's all run and hide in fear... after all, the news media says that shark attacks should be my biggest concern and that I should avoid Cancun because my family will be eaten!

[rawkus]

I really hope they dont "punish" the shark(or any other sharks for that matter..).

IF the story is true that it was giving birth, then LEAVE IT ALONE, just like any other animal.

I hope the lady is going to be ok as well, and that this can teach people to respect wildlife for what it is.


If I wandered into a room when a woman was giving birth, Im sure she wouldnt be too pleased, hehe


When I worked at the zoo in Australia some years a go, we had some interesting stats regarding croc attacks.

Id say 9/10 tourist expressed worries about being in "croc infested" areas, such as Far North Queensland...

Some of the stats were:

More people in Australia dies yearly from:

*Bee stings
*Slipping in the bathroom
*Getting crushed by the vending machines(!!) after pushing them in anger
*Choking on restaurant food
*Climbing on to your own roof
*Drowning
*Alcohol poisoning
*Gas poisoning from malfunctioning barbeque's ... and so on.

[TraceyUk]

Bull sharks which are native to these waters do NOT give birth they lay eggs.

A friends daughter was with our daughter 2 years ago water skiing off the coast by the Presidente Hotel. She was circled and bumbed by a HUGE bull shark. At the time no one believed her but they do come to cancun near to the lagoon to breed .

Its wise not to swim during dusk and dawn when sharks feed.
Of course we should all keep swimming in these beautiful waters but it is also wise to be aware that we are in natures territory.
Tracey

[rawkus]

Tracey: I did some volunteering with "Bullies" in Australia, and as far as I know, they develop their babies inside the "tummy", and the mother then releases(gives birth) to live, baby sharks.

Not unlike humans...


I never heard any details about what type of shark this was, but bullies are not to be messed with. They are one of mother natures true top of the line predators.

A friend in OZ who is experiencing the floods, told me that bullies from the rivers have started to swim around the flooded areas.

They are known for going into very shallow waters to reach their prey.

They are also VERY territorial.


Personally I have never heard of any shark attacks in my 4 years living in Cancun.

I hope we get some updates and I sure do hope they dont start killing them off because of this.

[Life_N_Cancun]

HA! Just read a article from a Canadian "news" source.. they have a picture of a giant great white shark (ie: JAWS) headlining the piece. They also mentioned the "report" of a shark attack in Cancun back in 2008... I do seem to recall something about a guy getting drunk, drowning, and then being munched on by fish for a few days before washing up on shore a while back, which was erroneously (and irresponsibly) sensationalized as a shark attack by a local paper for a day or two... if that's what they're trying to link to... anyway, let the next round of Mexico bashing commence..

[Jim in Cancun]

Here is another one: Shark attacks Canadian off Cancun (Minus the spurious, sensationalist picture!)

Anyone notice that news in English usually comes out with less than 24 hours when it used to take a week if at all? The small world gets smaller.

[TraceyUk]

Novedades has actually reported on the story today.
The woman involved is reported to be critical but stable.

Rawkus I apologise for my marine biology mistake ! I got my info from an incorrcet students website Sharks

[Old Guy]

Both the reports mentioned here are from papers in British Columbia on Canada's west coast.
As of this morning, neither the Toronto Star, a major Ontario paper, nor CTV news, a major TV network has reported this attack.
Possible inference is the victim is from B.C..

[CancunCanuck]

In trying to dig up stats, the only thing I could find is that there have been 5 fatal shark attacks reported in Quintana Roo in the last 100 years. The man who was found in 2008 had drowned, his body taken out to sea where the sharks had a go at him after he had already died. There was a report out of Chetumal that a small boat making the trek from Cuba was attacked in January.

This is not a common event by any means.

If they're going shark hunting, are we in Amity? When does Roy Scheider get here? Da duh....da duh.....

YouTube - Jaws Trailer 1975

YouTube - Jaws Trailer 1975

[rawkus]

Tracey: Sorry, didnt mean to come off as an "expert".

Some sharks do lat eggs, but the majority of them bear live young inside, like humans. In most cases there is even cannibalism starting in the "tummy"(my English lacks the proper term, haha), to ensure that the strongest ones are the ones that she gives birth to.

Even if bullies had laid eggs, the attack would most likely still have occurred, considering their territorial aggression, so in this case, had the people entered "her" area, its basically "tomatoe - tomato".

Where on the body did she get bit? Think I heard something about her arm, but not sure...

[Jim in Cancun]

Good grief! Hope this isn't true and it certainly is NOT what they are reporting on the local radio station BUT it says she lost an arm and thigh! AFP: Tourist loses arm to shark in Mexico

[elleboogs]

Jim - I also read that information here in a local paper!! Very sad...

For someone like me, who has an actual phobia to sharks - it's pretty scary stuff. You can give me all the stats in the world, but it's a phobia and only I can get over it myself. My best bet? I plan on going to the HZ in an hour or so and getting in that water now. Otherwise, I'll just continue to freak the out!!

[rawkus]

Elle: Phobias suck!

Im dead scared of bees and wasps... Ugh... Cant handle them at all. Dont even know why.

[elleboogs]

Rawkus - tell me about it!!! However, guess you understand a bit

Yeah, I have no clue why I'm so scared either... I used to not even go in the water at all!!!

[kathy_caribe]

Originally Posted by Jim in Cancun

Good grief! Hope this isn't true and it certainly is NOT what they are reporting on the local radio station BUT it says she lost an arm and thigh! AFP: Tourist loses arm to shark in Mexico

Canadian survives shark attack in Mexico | World | News | Toronto Sun

says she didn't lose arm or leg. who knows.

i do all my training in the sea however, and tomorrow's swim is going to be a yikers. The other disconcerting thing is that she was with a large group. That's usually a recipe for avoidance as they generally go for the stragglers.

[ToriB]

So, let me get this straight.... This ladies arms and legs are in good condition. Yes she is critical condition from the blood lost, but she is stable. The female shark was preparing to give birth when a group of humans invaded her space in her wide open home and she snapped.. literally. And now she is being hunted?!?! Where else was this shark supposed to go to do this natural thing called birthing? I am so pissed off right now!!!

[Cokewithlime]

According to the Toronto Sun report (where I live)

Toronto Sun -Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Cancun public safety department has not yet issued an official statement, saying they want conclusive proof it was a shark attack. “According to other information we have it could have been a barracuda,” said spokesman Fernando Ruiz.

The only way to tell would be by the bite pattern.

I have been diving in the Yucatan for over 12 years and I would have to say that barracuda's are far more frequently seen in the area than sharks. Barracuda's are highly attracted to bright shiny/flashy metal such a jewelery, their bites although serious are rarely dismembering or life threatening.

[rawkus]

@Elle: Oh, I do. At least your fear is of sharks... A bit "cooler" than bees/wasps, haha

@Tori: I completely agree and share your anger. To me, she is a great mother and one of many reasons why sharks have been around for so long.

All in all a very unfortunate event.

Im still hoping they wont start killing "suspected" sharks...

Bigger problems in Mexico and Cancun, to say the least.

[Life_N_Cancun]

From this article...

The Cancun area is not known as an area at high risk of shark attacks, but two years ago two people died after being bitten by sharks.

Are they just making $hit up now or did I sleep though these 2 alleged shark attack deaths? (for which they gave no references whatsoever)

Personally, I find a cockroach flying in my general direction a lot more upsetting than seeing a shark in the water (which I was fortunate enough to have happen a while back in front of the Cancun Palace...) but people are panicky and irrational about things like this and I'm getting tired of the attacks by foreign media outlets exaggerating and outright lying about things to keep people from visiting as many of my friends depend on tourism for their livelihoods... the most dangerous part of a trip to Cancun is the drive to and from the airport not sharks, narcos, or anything else so long as you have a few brain cells worth of common sense...

[CancunCanuck]

The shark fatalities from a couple of years ago were on the Pacific Coast, not here. There was one "suspected" attack but in the end it was a drowning and a postmortem bite.

I've seen some big barracuda out there, but none big enough to cause the kind of damage the reports are indicating. The last report I saw said she was on a jet ski, so who knows what really happened. I'm sure curious though.

[Life_N_Cancun]

Originally Posted by CancunCanuck

The shark fatalities from a couple of years ago were on the Pacific Coast, not here.

Jee wiz, you might have thought they would make that a little more clear .

I guess saying...

The Cancun area is not known as an area at high risk of shark attacks, but two years ago two people died after being bitten by sharks MORE THAN A THOUSAND MILES AWAY ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF MEXICO.

doesn't quite have the same sensationalist flare to it...

if I owned a big business here I would sue the pants off of all these irresponsible and slanderous "news" outfits for the damage they've done to the area...

[CancunCanuck]

Thank god they haven't figured out that this was a specially trained drug running shark working for the cartels. ;-)

[Old Guy]

Finally, a clear responsible report of this incident. The Toronto Star this morning gives a clear, first person, report of what happened. The victim, a 38 year old nurse from a community just north of Toronto had been playing volleyball with friends and went into the sea to cool off. The beach had been "red flagged" all day, and the bathers were in waist deep water. The life guards spotted the shark, blew their whistles to clear the water, but before anyone could respond this lady was bitten on the thigh, then arm and hand when she tried to fight it off. A life guard on a seadoo got her out of the water. She never lost consciousness, in fact gave directions on how to dress her wound until medical help arrived. She had muscle and nerve damage but is doing very well, and has high praise for the staff at Hospiten where she was treated.