Shark jaws leave diver decapitated in first recorded shark attack of 2023
All shark attack deaths are tragic encounters with sharks, but the first recorded fatal shark attack of 2023 is particularly grizzly leaving a diver decapitated.
For many it will be an immediate reminder of one of the key sequences in Steven Spielberg's JAWS (1975).
It's often thought that the head of fisherman Ben Gardner, which appears from a hole in a submerged boat that makes Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) jump, has been bitten off by the shark and left in the hull.
However, it is more likely that he was killed and his body looms out at Hooper in one of cinema's greatest ever jump scares. Only a model of the head and shoulders were produced of actor Craig Kingsbury, which is where it is only the head that remains theory persists.
This recent attack does show that a head being bitten off by a great white is not out of the realms of possibility.
As horrible and headline grabbing this great white shark death is, it could have been avoided as warnings were given, so perhaps a more accurate headline should read ‘diver killed by ignorance after not listening to shark warnings’.
Divers had been warned of the presence of great whites in the area, with many deciding not to enter the water. Reports suggest that Manuel Lopez did not heed those warning and went diving for shellfish as he needed the money and was diving in Tobari Bay when the shark struck.
The Mail Online reported that a shortage of seafood in the area has created a high demand and López, with his economic future at stake, decided to dive in what would be his final trip out.
Manuel López was killed by a shark while fishing for molluscs off the coast of western Mexico on January 5
Fisherman Jose Bernal told Tracking Sharks: “Local divers had been warned about the presence of sharks in the area and most had not been out for several days,”
Of course Mr Lopez didn’t deserve to die this way, but shark warnings are not given lightly and swimmers, divers and surfers must use their own judgement to reduce their chance of such shark encounters. Sadly the odds were not in his favour that particular dive.
Sharks are opportunists and Lopez was in their domain in the wrong place at the wrong time. Read: Why Great White sharks are not mindless killers
López, who was in his 50s, had his head torn off by the shark in the horrific attack
At this time of year pregnant great white are seeking out fat-filled sealions in the area, and the unfortunate Lopez is likely to have been bitten in a case of mistaken indentity in the attack which took place on January 5 in Bahia de Tobari, Mexico.
Despite the brutality of the attack, most news reports are featuring elements about great whites being prevalent that area this time of year, the warnings that were made and the case of mistaken identity.
And they also acknowledge that Lopez also had an economic need to take to diving below the surface that day to ensure he and his family could live, it ultimately ending in his tragic death.
As long as man enters the water with sharks, there will always be such unfortunate encounters, but here's some practical tips on how you can try to be more shark safe in the water: How To Stay Shark Safe
Words by Dean Newman
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