Bull Sharks in the Riviera Maya....coming soon with a new attitude

Bull shark season is fast approaching and we have been spending the last few months thinking about the pros and cons of this diving activity. We will be honest, this is a tough call for our business and our divers. Bull sharks are interesting and dangerous, but they are a key piece to the waters of the Mexican Caribbean and we have finally decided that these tours will continue through the Abyss Dive Center BUT they are going to take a bit of a different spin.

The decision to continue the Bull Shark dives was based on a commitment to make these dives educational, non feeding and observational. There are many arguments as to why people should not engage in this dive and there are many arguments why we should engage in these dives. Our decision comes down to education.

There is a reason why we all are divers, and learning about the underwater world is one very high if not top on the list. The diving philosophy at the Abyss has always been to make people divers, long term, engaged and happy divers. This has been shown in our care for classes, on going education and our desire to not just sell a course, as the diving industry has been accused of, but to teach divers to be good divers. If someone is struggling with their buoyancy, their new computer or the logisitics of a drift dive, we feel it is our responsibility to educate and build opportunities for our divers where they can test their skills and learn.
Bull Sharks, whale sharks, caverns, sting rays, seahorses and of course the turtles, are all creatures or diving locations in the area that we have educated our divers about. The Bull Sharks deserve the same respect and our divers deserve the same opportunity.

In the first part of our investigations on the Bull Sharks, I have to say we have all learned some super interesting things. Here are some bullet points about the Bull Sharks. In the upcoming weeks we will be outlining the guidelines for our Bull Sharks trips so that divers can decide if they want to participate in this excursion or not want to participate.

Bull Shark Facts

1. They can swim up to 11 km per hour…that is super fast for a sea creature..
2. They can live in any type of water, fresh or salt, super salty to very fresh
3. They give birth to their babies in fresh water. The parents travel thousands of miles to do this. This makes sense as to why they live in this area as we have fresh water and salt water.
The cenotes eventually lead out to the ocean . In certain areas along the coast, there are river mouths of fresh water, similar to Florida. It is here that the Bull Sharks give birth to their young…though we have not discovered exactly where that may be…the point is, this is a great area for the bull sharks to access fresh water.
4. They are the third most dangerous shark alive. This is fact and truth. The other fact and truth is that there have been no shark attacks on the area.
5. They migrate away from salt water for up to three months out of the year to give birth..this maybe why they disappear for a few months in the summer…look for cooler and fresher water, and then return to the area where we dive with them.

We are continuing to find more facts about the Bull Sharks so that our predive video is comprehensive and educational. If we are going to engage in this activity, it is important that we learn more, understand more and teach others what we know…..and for that reason we are excited about the new upcoming season!
Ask away if you have any questions, but this investigation is getting pretty interesting. It would be great for the Photo contest being help Dec 5 to the 12th to have some excellent pictures of these incredible sharks…would be worth the trip and the week of diving, don’t you think?