Tiger Shark Report and Dive Recommendations for Cocos Island National Park January 2017 Todd Steiner, Turtle Island Restoration Network and MigraMar,
[email protected] Mark Stabb, Turtle Island Restoration Network Cocos Team,
[email protected] On November 30, 2017, two divers had a serious encounter with a tiger shark at the Manuelita-Channel dive site in the Costa Rica National Park at Cocos Island, resulting in the death of one recreational diver, a park guest, and serious injury to the other diver, a dive master with the UnderSea Hunter group. This was the First known attack on a diver by a tiger shark at Cocos Island, which has been a popular recreational diving spot for nearly thirty years, and only the fourth recorded shark attack anywhere in Costa Rica1. The Circumstances: A recreational diver and her dive buddy (in this case, one of two divemaster’s with the group) surFaced early and not with the rest of the group. This is the normal dive practice when a group member is running low on air or bottom time. Near the surface, the divers were attacked by a single tiger shark. According to second-hand reports (I did not directly interview the injured divemaster), the divemaster placed himselF between the shark and the other diver, was bitten, pushed aside and the shark went after the other diver who sufFered a fatal bite. Both were pulled out oF the water and were rushed to a mother ship that coincidentally had two medical doctors onboard. The dive master’s bite was successFully treated; however, the recreational diver’s injuries proved too severe For treatment, and she died due to loss oF blood.