North of Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa South of Troncones

The following is a synopsis of the shark attacks that have happened in the Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa, Troncones area.

On Monday April 28, an American surfer from San Francisco, 24 year old Adrian Ruiz was surfing out in front of the bridge in Troncones, between Mi Casa Su Casa and Costa Brava Restaurant. There are varying reports but it is believed to have been a tiger shark.

Mr. Ruiz suffered a bite from the hip to the knee. He was alive when he got to the beach. According to reports, the placement of the bite made it difficult to get a tourniquet on to prevent blood loss. Also it took too long to get him to the Naval hospital in Ixtapa where he was pronounced dead.

Following that incident, the Mexican Navy got involved and had started patrolling the beaches from the air and water, to this date, no large shark had been spotted. Also local fishermen from Mahajua started hunting sharks with long-lines.
Then on Friday May 23, a Mexican surfer Osvaldo Mata Valdovinos died near the river mouth at Pantla after his left hand was bitten off and his leg broken by the shark, officials said.

Pantla is about 6 miles south of Troncones and 12 miles north of Ixtapa. Friends swimming with him at Pantla beach near Zihuatanejo saw a 2m (6ft) shark pull him underwater, police said.

The next day Saturday May 24 an American surfer from Texas, Bruce Grimes, was bitten on the arm Playa Linda beach, making him the third target of a shark attack in the area in a month.

Grimes, said he paddled toward shore on his board after feeling the sandy skin of a shark across the bottom of his feet as he straddled his surfboard.

“Then it bumped me really hard. I thought, 'That's definitely a big shark.' I took about three more strokes and he grabbed my arm,” said Grimes, who pulled himself free and made it to the beach. He managed to drive himself to the Naval Hospital in Ixtapa, where he received 100 stitches.

There are important things to take note of.
1 All three attacks occurred at river mouth openings.
2 All attacks were surfers.
3 The water in the area has been unusually cold for this time of year.
4 Giant squid have been reported close to shore by local fishermen.

Moving forward there is a conference scheduled for the weekend of May 30 involving the Mexican Navy, shark experts, fishermen, tourism officials and conservationists to investigate the unusual presence of sharks in the area and find a solution.