After a US tourist was attacked by a shark while scuba diving in Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, many people are wondering whether or not they should be worried about shark attacks in Costa Rican waters, especially since the summer just started and the number of people visiting the beaches will have a considerable increase.

First, it is important to keep in mind that Isla del Coco, where the tiger shark attacked the American tourist, is located 480 km off Costa Rica’s mainland, it is known for having a vast number of marine species, and it’s precisely this characteristic what makes it attractive for scuba divers. This attack is actually the first reported incident of this kind at Isla del Coco.

Granted, there are different species of sharks in Costa Rican waters, however according to different studies, the population of different shark species worldwide has actually decreased due to illegal fishing and shark finning practices.

Among the most dangerous species found in Costa Rica  are the tiger shark and the bull sharks (commonly found in Bat Island); tiger sharks, in fact, had not been seen for almost 30 years, but the population started growing in 2012.

Shark attacks globally are actually very uncommon, according to the Florida Museum between 2007 and 2016 there have been a total of 766 recorded incidents worldwide, which averages out at around 76 per year. The majority of the reports come from Florida, USA and Australia, followed by Hawaii and South Africa. The majority of the attacks are non-fatal, only 62 accidents in those 10 years were fatal.

In Costa Rica the last report of a fatal shark attack was back in 2011 when a bull shark attacked 15-year-old surfer Kevin Moraga in Playa Grande, Guanacaste, the serious injuries caused to his right leg caused a lot of damage, and even though he quickly received medical attention he died four days later in the intensive care unit.

A non-fatal incident was registered in 2015 when 47-year-old American surfer Thomas McCall had his toes bitten also in Playa Grande, it was a minor injury that required just a few stitches.

Based on these facts, it is safe to say that chances of being attacked by a shark in Costa Rica are very, very, low, but it doesn’t hurt to take into account some safety precautions:

Avoid swimming at dusk, dawn or night since some sharks are more active during these times.
Avoid entering the ocean near a river mouth
Avoid entering the ocean with a bleeding wound.
Do not surf, dive or swim alone
Do not swim in dirty or turbid water