Bull Sharks in Playa del Carmen

Anyone have experience with this? I've heard good things (no feedings) about this, but haven't found someone who has done it themselves - it's always "a friend" who went.

Looking for feedback on whether it's worth the trip on the ferry dragging gear from Cozumel.

Kim

I am also very interested to hear about this. I have been trying to get more info on bull shark dives in the Carribbean in general and all leads led to a dead end, including Walker Key which is now closed down.

I am also very interested to hear about this. I have been trying to get more info on bull shark dives in the Carribbean in general and all leads led to a dead end, including Walker Key which is now closed down.

First, let me say, I love sharks. I love diving with sharks in their natural habitat. I endure 2 hour boat rides frequently in the summer just to dive with sharks in North Carolina. Heck, The Shearwater is even on my short list because Jim Abernathy knows sharks. But, I can tell you straight up that the dive operators participating in the Bull Shark dives here in Playa del Carmen are, in my opinion, making a big mistake. There is alot of chatter in the community about this activity. The pros? Yeah, you may get to see sharks. The cons? Until some of the local shops started feeding, the Bull Sharks were seasonal. Now they're are reports of daily sightings including new sitings of sharks in areas where they are not usually seen. Their continued presence beyond the usual season has caused changes in fish activity including the failure of the large schools of Tarpon to return. This year I witnessed huge schools of regular reef fish (snappers, grunts, Angelfish, Blue Runners, etc.) moved up onto the shallow reef, franticly schooling together and "swarming" over the reef, a behavior often brought about by the presence of large predators in the water. For months we had erratic fish behavior.

The site where the sharks are being fed is not far off the beach, where hundreds of tourist and locals swim and snorkel year-round. The first time a tourist gets bitten, mass hysteria will prevail and swine flu and drug wars will be the least of our worries. Then every shark in the water here will be a "Man-Eater" and then fair game for every fisherman with a hook. The slaughter will be horrific.

The individuals who participate in the Bull Shark feedings here are hardly properly trained nor or they Marine Biologist educated in fish behavior. I truly believe the repercutions will be disasterous. The Bull Sharks can be aggressive. This past summer, one of the operators had a staff member bitten and taken to the hospital while feeding a Bull Shark. Hell, you'd think going to the hospital here would be excitement enough!

Come to Mexico. We have beautiful reefs, regular whale shark migrations, and magnificant cenotes for diving. But please, don't participate in these shark dives.

Rant Out.

Thanks for that; doesn't appear then that there are any 'natural' aggregations of these guys in the Carribbean anymore.

I know this dive center http://www.playadivecenter.com/ does "no feeding" bull shark dives during winter (nov-feb). It is a very popular dive center among spanish divers although I have never visited it myself. This is a video from a spanish diver from last december:

http://vimeo.com/8516539

I know this dive center http://www.playadivecenter.com/ does "no feeding" bull shark dives during winter (nov-feb). It is a very popular dive center among spanish divers although I have never visited it myself. This is a video from a spanish diver from last december:

 

http://vimeo.com/8516539

Yes, there are operators who don't feed the sharks. But the sharks gather in that area because others operators DO feed. I am not a marine biologist or behavior specialist but I don't think it's a smart idea to regularly feed Bull Sharks and then think there won't be some aggressive behavior when divers appear in that same feeding area and DON"T set out a buffet. So, in my opinion, potentially unsafe and environmentally dangerous.

I know that there are opportunities to dive with Bulls Sharks (and Sailfish also) out of Isla Mejeres as well, I have no idea if these are baited trips though. I am not a supporter for baited encounters and try to avoid them if possible, some locations though this is common and even if the boat that you are on does not there could be others participating.

I know there are a couple of shops around PDC that have done bait or feed but I believe (hope) this is or has changed. This dive op is one of the no feed or bait shops: www.Fantaseadive.com

Jason, one of the DM's has posted some videos if interested.

I have no issue with divers trying to put themselves in locations to increase their chances to dive with specific creatures but baiting to do this is a bad practice. Someone said it's like going to the trash dump to watch the bears.......