Man decapitated by 19ft shark may have been targeted due to his diving suit

31 January 2023 , 18:28

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Great white shark (Image: Marine Dynamics/Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

Divers in Mexico have been issued with an urgent warning after a man was decapitated by a 19ft great white shark.

Manuel López was scuba diving when he was killed in the horrifying attack which marked the first fatal shark attack of the year.

According to Tracking Sharks, shellfish divers in Mexico are told to wear black wetsuits and urged to wear stripy patterns to make themselves stand out in the ocean.

This is because great white sharks migrate to the area in December and January where the tragedy happened to feed and pregnant females often prey on sea lions and seals.

It means the beasts often mistake divers for their natural prey due to the dark colour of the wetsuits and it is thought López could have been targeted due to the colour of his diving suit.

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Manuel López (Facebook)

Mr Lopez was collecting a mollusc like a scallop in the sea around 11.30am on January 6 when he was attacked by a shark in front of his horrified co-worker fisherman.

The man in his fifties had his head torn off and his shoulders shredded as the massive shark pounced off the coast of Benito Juarez, Sonora.

Fisherman José Bernal said López was diving when the animal ambushed him, "ripping off his head and biting both shoulders".

He also said local divers had been warned about the presence of sharks in the area and most had not been out for several days.

A beach near where the attack happened (Getty Images/500px)

But it's understood financial pressures meant López decided he had to take the risk and take the dive.

The sea off Mexico is home to one of the world’s biggest great white sharks, known as Deep Blue.

The 22ft predator was once caught on camera swimming dangerously close to a pair of brave divers in Guadalupe. Weighing an enormous 2.5 tonnes, the 50-year-old beast dwarfed the divers.

A 56-year-old diver was killed in the area in February of last year while diving for scallops and another diver was killed in the area in 2018.

Rachel Hagan