San Andrés: why do sharks attack people?

The deadly attack by a tiger shark on Mr. Antonio Roseto Degli Abruzzi, a tourist of Italian origin, caused an unusual stir in the Pox Hole or La Piscinita sector, southwest of the San Andrés archipelago. Now, locals and tourists are wondering why a squalo attacks in the ocean and how common it is for that to happen.

The situation has escalated to the point where, despite the presence of a National Navy boat calling for withdrawal, a group of people arrived at the rocky bay this Saturday to sacrifice one of the sharks approaching there, in a strange way of taking “revenge” for Roseto's death.

Far from being a problem, the presence of sharks in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve is a great indicator that the environmental entity of San Andrés (Coralina) is doing a good job of conservation and sharks are struck by the warm, deep and clean water of the place.

In 2018 they approached the Colombian beach again after almost a decade without going. Since then they have been occasional visitors to the no take areas — areas that Coralina has defined as conservation and restricted fishing — including Pox Hole.

Now that meeting one is known to be a possibility, is it dangerous to swim on the beaches of San Andrés? How likely is it that a shark will eat a person? Should sharks be hunted?

According to the statement issued by Coralina after this incident, tiger sharks only approach the shores of the ocean at night, since during the day they prefer deep waters. Therefore, seeing them from the banks is extraordinary.

On the other hand, tiger sharks are alpha predators: they eat virtually everything from fish, reptiles and mollusks to other sharks. Of course, they have preferences: as biologist Carlos Julio Polo told the newspaper El Tiempo, human flesh is not appetizing for sharks due to its lack of fat. They prefer other marine mammals, such as seals, sea lions, whales, among others.

So, in the presence of a human in the ocean, a tiger shark can attack because it is hungry, mistook the person for a seal and decided to hunt it. It will be more difficult for you to discern thanks to the reflection of the sun in the water and the poor vision of your eyes.

According to what Coralina's protected areas coordinator, Nacor Bolaños, told W Radio, “it's easier to win the lottery twice than a shark bites you.” In the few cases where a squalo has attacked people in the archipelago, they are fishermen who carry fresh fish and attract the hungry animal.

In fact, before the passage of Hurricane Iota, specialized shark diving tourism became common in the archipelago. Since divers do not carry fish and the activity is carried out under controlled conditions and a basic respect for the animal, no incidents such as that of the Italian citizen have been reported.

While it is not possible to predict when a shark will approach shore and what intentions it comes with, Coralina extends two recommendations: avoid 'no take' areas without supervision and refrain from swimming in deep waters if warned of a recent shark sighting. Apparently, the Italian citizen stopped doing both before receiving the bite on his right leg.

On the other hand, they warn that hunting tiger sharks is criminalized by law, as it is a protected species. This is in response to several attacks by residents of San Andrés who have tried to hunt with harpoons and fishing rods to the squalo they consider to be responsible for the attack.

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