A marine biologist shared a terrifying experience when a shark tried to bite his head.
While the idea of a shark attack is a terrifying thought for many ocean-goers, such instances are actually quite rare.
Data from the Florida Museum of Natural History indicates that the US saw 28 unprovoked shark attacks in 2024.
While specific yearly numbers for Central America aren’t available, the museum documents a total of 23 attacks in Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Belize, and Nicaragua from 1907 to 2025.
So, while these events are infrequent there as well, some individuals, unfortunately, encounter such attacks.
Despite his encounter, this marine biologist might be seen as fortunate, depending on one’s perspective.
Dr. Mauricio Hoyos, a marine scientist from Mexico, was diving in the waters near Cocos Island, located hundreds of miles off the coast of Costa Rica, in late September. His mission was to tag sharks for conservation purposes.
During this expedition, he encountered a nine-foot-long Galápagos shark that turned aggressive after he tagged it, circling back towards him.
The shark came at him with its mouth wide open after initially swimming past.
Discussing the incident with the New York Times, he described: “She turned sideways in my direction; it was really fast.
“It was wide open; my whole head was inside of her mouth in less than a second.”
Although he heard a cracking sound, the outcome was not as severe as it might have been.
He continued: “But it was just pressure. As soon as she felt my skull, she released me. She opened and swam away.”
Though the bite wasn’t extremely deep, it was sufficient to cause bleeding, mixing with water inside his mask. Additionally, the shark’s teeth cut through his scuba gear’s air hose.
Reflecting on the moments of confusion and partial vision loss, he sensed the shark moving away, glimpsing its shadow as it retreated.
Hoyos remarked: “I saw the shadow twice in front of me. If she wanted, she could have killed me.”
Despite losing blood and air, Hoyos managed a slow ascent to the surface to decompress. His team helped him aboard their skiff, and he received initial medical care on Cocos Island.
From his hospital bed, Hoyos mentioned he was awaiting surgery for his jaw, having already received stitches for cuts on his scalp and puncture wounds to his face. In total, he sustained 27 injuries, corresponding to the 27 teeth that had briefly clamped down on him.