UPDATED
A Mexican diver was bitten in the head by a shark while diving off the remote Cocos Island marine reserve in the eastern Pacific on 27 September.
The incident occurred at the Dirty Rock site (Roca Sucia) around noon, the man sustaining injuries to his scalp and the left side of his face as well as damage to his air hoses that forced an emergency ascent, though it is not clear from what depth.
UPDATE: Diver was noted marine biologist
The diver whose head was bitten has now been reported to have been 48-year-old marine biologist Dr Mauricio Hoyos.
Divernet’s initial report had suggested that the shark had reacted defensively to tagging attempts, and it seems that was indeed the case, with the 4m Galapagos shark turning on Hoyos 30m beneath the surface. The diver’s arms were injured along with his face and scalp, according to a report by Tico Times.
Hoyos is now in Hospital Clínica Bíblica in San José on the mainland (as of 1 October) and is said to be stable and expected to make a full recovery. He works with the One Ocean Worldwide Coalition (OOWC) of shark conservation bodies, and on the day of the incident had been given a Rob Stewart Ocean Conservationist of the Year award.
The diver’s mask was said to have provided him with some measure of protection. The shark species has not been identified – the site is best-known for hammerheads and marble ray sightings.
First responders treated the diver’s head-wounds on site, controlling the bleeding and stabilising him for the 500km journey back to Puntarenas in Costa Rica. The return trip to get him to hospital was expected to take 36-40 hours.
Witnesses have suggested that the shark might have been reacting defensively to attempts at tagging or other research activity, rather than exhibiting unprovoked aggression. The diver, said to be in his 40s, was reported to be in stable condition and good spirits.
The last fatal incident in the area was in 2017, when US scuba diver Rohina Bhandari died in a tiger shark encounter.
