BDSC
Contributor
I just received word there was a death in Cocos today. Tiger shark attack is what I was told. Don’t really know anything more other than the liveaboard is on the way back. Don’t know which outfit.
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An American tourist died as a result of the injuries caused by a tiger shark while she was diving in Isla del Coco, Costa Rica; the dive master that was with her suffered serious injuries but survived.
According to the Fuerza Pública (Costa Rican Police) the accident took place this Thursday, when apparently the tourists were in a scuba diving activity with a private company. The boat See Hunter received support from the coast guard to take the victims back to Puntarenas, a trip that takes close to 24 hours, which means they will arrive to Puntarenas on Friday afternoon.
The case is now under investigation by the Puntarenas police and the district attorney office.
This species of shark returned to the waters of Isla del Coco in the year 2012, after almost 30 years of not been seen in this area. The tiger shark (galeocerdo cuvier) receive this name because of the tiger-like stripes on juveniles, and it is known to be a voracious hunter they can reach a size of 10 to 14 feet and can weight anywhere from 850 to 1,400 pounds, the size relative to a 6 foot man.
According to National Geographic, “These large, blunt-nosed predators have a duly earned reputation as man-eaters. They are second only to great whites in attacking people. But because they have a near completely undiscerning palate, they are not likely to swim away after biting a human, as great whites frequently do”.
A terrible tragedy. The article makes it sound like tiger sharks are more prone to attack humans than I believe to be the case. Yes, a very small minority have, as is true with dogs and horses.
Richard.