Marine biologist recalls terrifying moment 9ft shark tried to swallow his head whole

A marine biologist has recalled an encounter that went bad very quickly as a shark attempted to take a bite out of his head.

While shark attacks are some people’s biggest fear while out in the ocean, they are quite rare.

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, in the US, there were 28 unprovoked shark attacks in 2024.

In Central America there isn’t a yearly figure on shark attacks, but the museum notes that there have been a total recording of 23 attacks in Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Belize and Nicaragua between 1907 and 2025.

So also pretty rare there as well, but with that said, sometimes a person can be unlucky and experience one.

But with that said, this marine biologist may be considered lucky depending on how you look at it.

The marine biologist was lucky to get away from the encounter with his life (Mauricio Hoyos)

Marine scientist Dr. Mauricio Hoyos from Mexico was descending into waters off Cocos Island, hundreds of miles southwest of Costa Rica in late September as he was intending to tag sharks for conservation research.

He was unfortunate enough to come across a nine-foot-long Galápagos shark that circled back on him after he prodded it with his pole spear and released the tag.

After passing him, it turned around and darted at him with its jaws agape.

Speaking to the New York Times this week about the encounter, he said: “She turned sideways in my direction; it was really fast.

“It was wide open; my whole head was inside of her mouth in less than a second.”

He admitted he heard a cracking sound, but thankfully it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

He added: “But it was just pressure. As soon as she felt my skull, she released me. She opened and swam away.”

While it might not have been the deepest of bites, it was still enough to draw blood, as a mix of blood and water then began to fill his mask. As well as this, the shark's teeth had severed the air hose in his scuba gear.

Hoyos ended up having 27 injuries from the attack (Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Recalling this weird moment of confusion and partial blindness, he said he sensed the shark was moving away from him as he caught a glimpse of its retreating shadow.

He said: “I saw the shadow twice in front of me. If she wanted, she could have killed me.”

Losing blood and air, Hoyos began his ascent to the surface slowly to decompress and was helped aboard his team’s skiff and was taken to Cocos Island where he received first aid.

Speaking from hospital, Hoyos said he was awaiting surgery on his jaw after getting stitches to close slice wounds on his scalp and punctures to his face, a total of 27 injuries, one for each of the 27 teeth that apparently chomped down on his flesh.