A 50-year-old diver was decapitated by a great white shark in waters off the coast of Mexico in front of shocked fishermen. The animal, almost six meters long, attacked him violently and decapitated him. The victim’s name was Manuel Lopez and he was diving for shellfish off San Jose Beach in Tobari Bay on Mexico’s west coast.
Fisherman José Bernal told the specialized website Tracking Sharks, dedicated to monitoring shark attacks, that Lopez, 50, “was diving when the animal attacked him, ripping off his head and biting both shoulders.” The divers had been warned of the presence of sharks in the bay but the dives continued despite this.
Marine biologists advise divers not to dive in black suits because predators could mistake them for seals or to paint white stripes on their suits to look like coral snakes, highly venomous animals that sharks avoid approaching.