Playa del Carmen Shark Point Welcomes Back 12 Bull Sharks

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Twelve bull sharks recorded in previous seasons have returned to Shark Point, the dive and sighting area off the coast of Playa del Carmen, a local community science team reported.

The team from Baalche identified the animals during the first outings of the season, which the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) opened on Nov. 4.

Cecilia Gutiérrez Navarro, a Baalche member, said the team photographs the sharks and compares their physical features against records from earlier years. That method allowed them to recognize, among others, Frisia, which has been logged since 2008, and Lenny, a shark identified by an injury to its jaw.

The team also spotted two sharks whose identification process was left unfinished last season. Their return will allow researchers to resume monitoring, complete the protocol and add them to the registry under a name.

Gutiérrez Navarro said the number of sharks observed during dives has stayed stable over the past four seasons. The team will keep running surveys to track how the presence of the animals evolves this year.

On the tourism side, she said she hopes bull shark diving will help revive the local economy after a difficult season. She stressed that the community works alongside authorities and with scientific support to protect the animals while safeguarding the divers who come to see them.