A Mexican marine biologist was seriously injured after he was attacked by a shark while working off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast and transferred to a hospital in the country’s capital on Monday, authorities said.
Costa Rica’s Fire Department said it had rescued 48-year-old Mauricio Hoyos from the attack Saturday and carried him on a 36-hour journey from Cocos Island, around 340 miles off the coast. Despite the serious injuries to his head, face and arms, Hoyos arrived at the hospital in stable condition.
“He was tagging species for monitoring and when he tagged one of the island’s shark species, the shark turned,” said Luis Fernández, a physician with the fire department. “It was about 4 meters long with an enormous bite force — it turned and bit him on the head.”
Hoyos was leading a scientific expedition as part of the One Ocean Worldwide Coalition, a collaborative initiative that includes the organizations Fins Attached, For the Oceans Foundation, Reserva Tortuga and the Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation.
“Incidents like this are extremely rare,” Alex Antoniou, executive director of Fins Attached, said on social media. “Dr. Hoyos is an extraordinary scientist who has dedicated his career to shark conservation, and we are deeply grateful for the support of the Cocos Island community in this very difficult time.”
Cocos Island is a Costa Rican national park and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. It is renowned for its great diversity of species, particularly sharks.
In 2017, an American woman was killed after being mauled by a female tiger shark near the island. Her dive guide was also seriously injured in the attack. Authorities at the time said it was the first attack of its kind near the national park.
According to Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and Energy, there are about 14 species of sharks — including whale sharks, hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks — inhabiting the area, making it a popular spot for divers.
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