Scallop Diver Killed by Shark Off the Coast of Mexico

A young fisherman was recently killed by a shark while diving for scallops off the coast of Mexico. According to a press release, 22-year-old Víctor Alejandro Soto García was attacked on December 28 near Tahui Beach, which is situated on the Gulf of California.

“Unfortunately, [a shark attack] left a person dead today,” wrote the Sonora Department of Civil Protection. “The young man’s body was taken by his fellow fishermen to the Yavaros dock.”

The agency also noted that García was not wearing an “anti-shark repellent bracelet” at the time of the attack. Such bracelets use electrical or magnetic pulses to deter sharks. According to an NIH study, they are only marginally effective. 

Several news agencies have reported that the culprit was a great white shark, though Field & Stream has not been able to independently verify the species of shark involved in the incident. 

Shark attacks, especially fatal shark attacks, are considered quite rare. That said, a number of shocking incidents occurred in the final weeks of 2023. In addition to this incident, in December 2023, a Boston woman was killed in a shark attack while paddleboarding in the Bahamas. On December 30, a surfer in Hawaii was involved in a fatal shark encounter.

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According to the International Shark File, “The chances of being bitten by a shark are very small compared to other animal encounters, natural disasters, and ocean-side dangers … The few bites that occur every year are an excellent indication that sharks do not feed on humans and that most bites are simply due to mistaken identity.”