Mexican Singer Jorge D’Alessio Recounts Shark Attack on Son in Tulum

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Mexican singer Jorge D’Alessio has described the terrifying moment a shark bit his young son while the family was swimming at a Tulum beach last weekend.

D’Alessio said he was paralyzed with shock when his son Patricio, nicknamed “Pato,” began screaming that something had bitten him in shallow water that only reached the children’s waists.

“I reacted terribly. I reacted in shock,” D’Alessio said. “I ran when my children screamed. I grabbed ‘Pato,’ started carrying him, and when I saw his leg I turned pale.”

The singer’s wife, actress Marichelo Puente, had previously shared details of the incident, but D’Alessio provided his own account this week. He explained that their older son Santiago reached Patricio first and pulled him to shore.

The family rushed Patricio to a hospital where doctors sutured his wounds and delivered an unexpected diagnosis: a shark bite.

D’Alessio described the situation as “tremendous” and “very rare” for Mexican beaches, which he noted are considered among the safest in the world. He identified the shark as a small reef shark, a species that sometimes approaches shore out of curiosity, particularly at dusk.

“Everything changed in a second and thank God it wasn’t worse,” D’Alessio said. “It bit him three times; the second bite hurt him a lot and pulled him, which tore his skin. That was the most serious wound.”

Puente applied a tourniquet with a towel to control the bleeding while D’Alessio prepared their vehicle to rush their son to medical care.

“My wife made the tourniquet and I said: ‘I’ll get the truck.’ So I ran for the truck to have it ready and take him quickly to the hospital,” D’Alessio recounted. “We’re a team, but honestly I didn’t react that well. I was petrified.”

The singer emphasized that such incidents are extremely uncommon in Mexico. “It’s important to say one thing: ‘It’s very rare that this happens.’ Mexican beaches are among the safest in the world, right? It’s not like Australia… it was a small reef shark that comes closer in the afternoon and bites out of curiosity, not to attack. So yes, it’s important to say it, Mexico’s beaches are tremendously safe, especially Tulum.”

D’Alessio praised his son’s bravery during treatment, noting that Patricio endured local anesthesia and the healing process well. Puente added that their son has shown resilience and is recovering favorably, with the wound healing “wonderfully.”