Divers and tourists are being asked to refrain from using noise-generating instruments underwater as female bull sharks are returning to the warm, shallow waters of the Riviera Maya in the Caribbean Sea for the purpose of breeding.
Although Bull sharks have been implicated in many attacks on bathers, divers are normally not harassed unless they are spear fishing.
Bull shark diving is becoming a popular tourist activity in the waters around Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.
Be quiet
Luis Lombardo Cifuentes, director of Saving Our Sharks, told the Riviera Maya News they have noticed the sharks displaying fearful behaviour this year and are asking divers to use extreme caution when approaching them by being very quiet and not make noise in the water.
Bull sharks have been known to be aggressive towards humans. They have very sensitive ears and find noise annoying which may cause unwanted aggressive behaviour. The sharks are very territorial and will attack anything that gets into their environment and they feel is a risk. Bull sharks are listed as the 3rd largest risk to humans when it comes to sharks, only behind the Great White and the Tiger shark.
Also lives in freshwater
The Bull shark is found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide as well as in many river systems and some freshwater lakes. It commonly enters estuaries, bays, harbours, lagoons, and river mouths. It is the only known shark species which is found in freshwater and can spend long periods of time in such environments. It is not likely that the Bull shark's entire life cycle is within a freshwater system, however.
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