Bull Sharks (Nov 2022)

Be sure to scroll to the bottom to view our photos and videos after the story for this trip.

Diving with the Bull Sharks

*The bulls sharks were plentiful early in the season making for very sporty picture and video opportunities.*

About 500 meters from the beautiful beaches of downtown Playa del Carmen and 80 feet below the ocean surface lies a dive site simply known as Shark Point. Here, several of the local dive organizations have worked tirelessly for many years to acclimate the migrating bull sharks to humans feeding them and to be within close proximity of divers. The spectacle begins in late October/early November and can last until April, depending on when the bull sharks decide to migrate in and out.

I’ll proudly state that the bull shark will always be a special shark to me and my wife. While not my favorite—that distinction belongs to the hammerhead—it is the first of the big sharks that we had the pleasure of coming face-to-face with. Up to that point we had visited feeding sites in Florida and the Bahamas encountering lemon, silky, dusky, and Caribbean reef sharks close up, but bulls and hammerheads only off in the distance. That changed in 2017 when we spent a week at Shark Point watching skilled feeders reward the bull sharks with tasty cuts of fish, all while they swam above and around divers lying flat on the sandy bottom observing the exciting ongoings—with plenty of photo and video opportunities in the process.

“Shoulder to shoulder” explained the divemaster during the safety brief. “Any space between you and the next diver and the bull sharks will be tempted to surprise you by swimming right next to you, which is dangerous.”

Welcome to Shark Point!

Of course, the safety brief is not meant to scare you, but to make sure you follow simple rules and respect your surroundings to minimize any risk of a mishap. And despite the occasional unruly diver(s), the site’s safety record is exceptional. We know that sharks in general have a bad reputation for being ruthless and indiscriminate killers, which is entirely not true. They are intelligent and curious animals that don’t possess legs or arms, therefore their only mechanism for “feeling things out” is to bite, which is misconstrued as an attack.

So here I am at Shark Point, surrounded by as many as 20+ bull sharks at a time; co-existing and approaching me with curiosity while bumping my camera for what seems to be their notable invite for a photo op. I always tell tales of Cabezona (which means “big head” in Spanish) who always recognizes my familiar red GoPro rig and makes it a point to spend several minutes swimming by me as if to say hello. Intelligent animals, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

The bull sharks that migrate to these waters every year are all females. Often pregnant, it is believed that they give birth in the mangroves in the surrounding area. Therefore, protecting the sharks and the area is of utmost importance for the continued survival of these precious animals. We were especially excited this trip to meet and spend time with some members of the Saving our Sharks Foundation. Their sister organization in Quintana Roo, Saving our Sharks, has been a leader in shark research, conservation and education. This year they collectively launched the #QueensOfTheOcean campaign, aimed at raising awareness through a photo competition with a grand prize. You can visit their site here for more information on the campaign. We look forward to working together with them on future opportunities to educate and connect people to the importance of protecting the habitat of the bull sharks.

Given that Playa del Carmen is our second home, we plan to return several times during the bull shark season. Fingers crossed that the bull sharks stick around until April, and stay tuned for more pictures and videos in the future. CaaS

Update 06 Jan 2023: We made it down to Playa del Carmen for a second round with the bull sharks in late December/early January. Fortunately, the girls are still going strong; on average we were seeing 12-14 sharks with up to 18 sharks on some days. The efforts from conservation groups such as the Saving out Sharks Foundation, Saving Our Sharks are really paying off. CaaS

Check out these photos from our trip.