Shark attack in Acapulco

[dpbishop]

ACAPULCO, Mexico - A U.S. surfer was killed in a shark attack off Mexico's southern Pacific coast, officials said Tuesday.

The San Francisco man bled to death on Monday after a gray shark bit his right thigh, leaving a 15-inch wound, the Guerrero state Public Safety Department said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico could not immediately confirm the man's name, but local authorities identified him as a 24-year-old who was surfing with a fellow American. The other man was not injured.
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The attack occurred at the Troncones beach, about 45 minutes west by car from the beach resort of Ixtapa.

The statement said the victim suffered wounds "that reached from the hip to the knee, exposing the femur."

The victim was still alive when he was brought back to the beach. It took so long for the ambulance to reach the relatively isolated, undeveloped beach that a bystander took the victim to a local hospital in his car.

The man died a few minutes after reaching the hospital from loss of blood, according to the statement.

Shark attacks are relatively rare in Mexico. In 2006, the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History reported only one attack in Mexico, which was not fatal.

 

[johnny_bravo]

The report is from Acapulco but the beach is closer to Ixtapa...

It's interesting how some articles mention a "gray" shark and others mention a tiger shark...either way it's a region not usually visited by these bigger sharks...

Cheers.

-J.-

 

[drbill]

I was wondering when I'd see a report on this fatality. The local (Lost Angeles) news mentioned it briefly yesterday, but I heard no follow up.

 

[scubaman33]

These are the things that really bother me as a result of this!!!

"ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) - Authorities used baited hooks to catch sharks Wednesday near a Mexican beach where a U.S. surfer was killed in an attack.

The 24-year-old Adrian Ruiz of San Francisco bled to death after being bitten on the thigh Monday while surfing off Troncones beach west of Acapulco.

Mexico's Navy and maritime authorities said they have strung about 200 meters (yards) of lines with baited hooks near the beach in an attempt to catch sharks that may be using the area as a feeding ground.

Emergency personnel are warning beach-goers about sharks' presence near the largely undeveloped oceanfront, said local civil defense Director Jaime Vazquez.

It is not clear what species was involved in Monday's attack, but Navy Cdr. Arturo Bernal said that helicopter overflights had sighted two great white sharks nearby.

"We hope to catch any sharks that there are in the area," Bernal said, noting it was the only way to prevent further attacks. None have been caught so far.

"We may catch sharks which were not involved in the attack, but there is no way to know," Bernal said. "Fishermen are telling us that the sharks are very aggressive at the moment."

Environmentalists like Enrique Rodriguez Krebs, who heads the group SOS Bahia in the nearby resort of Zihuatanejo, opposes the hunt.

"There is going to be an indiscriminate slaughter of marine species with these hook lines," Rodriguez Krebs said.

According to Bernal, there are few sharks in the area, so the baited hooks won't have a significant effect on the larger shark population."

 

[Papa_Bear]

The Surfer from San Fransisco bleed to death after being bitten on both legs, but was able to help his friend get him to the beach where they called for help! Help didn't come for an hour, so his friend loaded him in a pick up truck and drove him to the resort town of Ixtapa, where he died at the hospital from blood loss! The shark tested and swam on, the time killed him! It is suspected that it was a Oceanic Grey Shark!

 

[dashark]

I also read that it may have been a tiger. There was a reported sighting by some divers the day before in the area.
Shame that he might have made it with better services. That is an inherant risk to take into account when you travel off the beaten path. Although Troncones is well travelled compared to a lot of locations. A bit ironic that this guy regularly surfs in areas known for big sharks and gets hit on vacation.
What a tragedy! hope he got some good ones that day....

 

[Bill Fisher]

I could be wrong,
but I don't believe there is a species of shark classified as an Oceanic Grey Shark ???

 

[dpbishop]

I could be wrong,
but I don't believe there is a species of shark classified as an Oceanic Grey Shark ???

A number of species are referred to by this common name, including the silky, Carcharhinus falciformis FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture - Species fact sheets


Remember, (if your old enough), most sharks were identified as "Grey Fish" in the supermarket before Jaws came out and eating shark became fashionable.

 

[DocWong]

Adrian was my nephew, he was a good kid and this trip to Mexico was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I only hope that his friends did all they could for him under the circumstances.

 

[vel525]

Adrian was my nephew, he was a good kid and this trip to Mexico was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I only hope that his friends did all they could for him under the circumstances.

I'm sorry for your loss.