Bull Shark Diving with Playa del Carmen’s Shark Whisperer

It’s bull shark season again in Playa del Carmen! For all you shark lovers out there, that means it’s time to strap on your fins and hightail it to Mexico, where you can witness these impressive creatures for yourselves.

The bull shark dive season varies each year but typically runs from November to February. During this time, pregnant female sharks travel through the region on their way to give birth. This migration creates the perfect opportunity for scuba divers to see these apex predators up close and personal.

In preparation for this exciting time, we sat down with Octavio Valdés, a pioneer in bull shark diving in Playa del Carmen who’s been leading shark dives in the area for the past 14 years. You can find Octavio on Facebook at Octavio Bullshark Diving and Instagram @octaviobullsharkdiving.

Octavio Valdés, shark feeder and ambassador - Photos by Reef Shutter, @reefshutter

It’s the start of this year’s bull shark dive season in Playa del Carmen. Can you tell me a bit about what you do?

My name is Octavio Valdés. I’ve been diving with sharks for fourteen years. I am one of the pioneers of this activity. Pretty much, we go down with a bucket of fish and attract the sharks. As we like to say, “better fed than dead”.

Sharks have a very bad reputation. So what we’re trying to do with these dives is show sharks as they are and not this nightmare from science fiction.

“It is way scarier to picture an ocean without sharks than an ocean with sharks.” – Octavio Valdés

Many people consider bull sharks to be an aggressive shark breed. Do you think there’s any truth to this reputation?

Bull sharks are one of the animals with the most testosterone, but that doesn’t make them the most aggressive animals on the planet. The most aggressive animal on the planet is us. The most dangerous animal on the planet is us. If I was to give any advice, it would be for the sharks, to please take care of us.

In my life I have known evil people, but not evil sharks. I know for sure that these girls - because they’re all females - will never hurt me. They’re predators and doing their jobs, but evil is only a characteristic of human beings.

A female bull shark swims off the coast of Playa del Carmen - Photos by Reef Shutter, @reefshutter

Note: While it’s true that bull sharks are more likely to attack humans than other shark species, this is mainly due to their habitat. Bull sharks live primarily along tropical shorelines. And their ability to withstand freshwater allows them to travel inland via rivers and tributaries into regions with high human concentrations.

Feeding sharks is often controversial. As a shark ambassador, how do you ensure your actions positively impact shark conservation?

I’ve heard this controversy many times. I think this is coming from people that are haters. I don’t know, but I can picture these kinds of people sitting on the sofa doing nothing but criticizing everything.

They say you’re changing feeding habits. Or you’re going to provoke an accident. In 14 years, I haven’t had a single accident. In Isla Reunion, they don’t feed the sharks, and they have the highest number of fatal accidents in the world from bull sharks.

They say, oh, you’re changing their feeding habits. I don’t know if these haters understand that the fishing industry removes more than 90 million tons of fish from the oceans every year. Human beings are competing with sharks for food. We’re taking the food right out of their jaws.

Scuba divers admiring a passing bull shark - Photos by Reef Shutter, @reefshutter

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So, we’re already changing their feeding habits whether you’re a diver or not.

Of course. You go and eat ceviche, and you’re changing sharks’ feeding habits. Because it’s not just you, it’s 8 billion people on the planet.

Human beings are polluting our oceans with plastic. The fishing industry kills 100 million sharks every year. Then you have a guy going down with a bucket of fish to attract them, and he’s the bad guy of the movie. Are you kidding me?

I’ve been living here for a long time. I lived here before we started feeding sharks in Playa del Carmen. I remember my first shark dive; the shark was twenty meters away, and you only saw her for a few seconds. That was your shark experience.

The only way this industry is made possible is if sharks are worth more alive than dead. This can only happen because we’re going down with a bucket of fish. There are a bunch of dive shops that are against feeding. But guess what, they go to the same places we go feeding.

If you’re against feeding, move away. Go two kilometers down the coast and see what happens. There are no sharks. The dive shops against feeding make money and do nothing except criticize the feeding necessary to attract the sharks. Come on.

“Better fed than dead,” Octavio feeds one of his shark friends - Photos by Reef Shutter, @reefshutter

Note: Before baited shark dives, bull sharks were fished in Playa del Carmen. This stopped because of a fee divers pay to the local fishermen to not fish the sharks. That’s why they say, better fed than dead.

Can you tell me about the most memorable experience you’ve had while diving with sharks?

Every time: every day I go down is memorable. I have here a picture with a shark named Frizzia. My first picture with Frizzia is from 2009 or 2010, ten years ago. I just saw her three days ago.

I even removed a hook from her three years ago that I have right here. I’ve named at least 10 or 15 of them. I can recognize them, and I play with them: every day I go down. For me, it’s like playing with very noble beings.

“In my life, I have known evil people, but not evil sharks” Octavio Valdés

It’s always a great day when Octavio gets to see the sharks - Photos by Reef Shutter, @reefshutter

What do you wish people knew about sharks?

That they’re not the monsters, people think they are. The population of certain species of sharks has decreased 90% in just 50 years. In my opinion, this is a red flag, an alarm. I think it is way scarier to picture an ocean without sharks than an ocean with sharks.

Sharks keep the balance of the ocean and keep the oceans healthy. So, if we are concerned about ourselves, we should take care of sharks.

And stop killing them. The fishing industry that supports the market of shark fin soup kills 100 million sharks every year. This has to stop now.

Are You Ready to Dive with Bull Sharks?

Come see to Mexico and see these bull sharks for yourself - Photos by Reef Shutter, @reefshutter

It is recommended that you have at least your advanced open water certification and have logged at least 20 to 30 dives before your bull shark dive experience. This is because the sharks tend to be deeper than 18m, and your dive will have a maximum depth of 24m.

Despite relatively warm ocean temperatures this time of year, between 26 to 28 degrees Celsius, you will be required to wear a full wet suit for shark diving. You will stay together as a group holding onto a line while your guide attracts the sharks. Underwater photography is permitted. However, be sure to remain calm throughout the dive.

Every diver who sees these remarkable creatures up close is another person advocating for their existence and protection. Shark eco-tourism in Playa del Carmen has quite literally saved the lives of hundreds of sharks and changed the opinions of thousands of divers. So why not see them for yourself?

Octavio and the Bull Sharks – Playa del Carmen, Mexico - Photos by Reef Shutter, @reefshutter

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