Diving deep into the fascinating world of marine life, we provide a weekly update on shark attacks in the Philippines. Despite the breathtaking beauty of our turquoise waves, encounters with these magnificent underwater creatures can lead to dangerous situations. The booming tourism industry and our interactions with the sea bring to light a critical need for understanding and respect for our marine neighbors, the sharks. Comprehend, stay safe, and relish the thrilling aquatic adventure that our beloved country offers.
Recent Shark Attacks in the Philippines
Date / Time | Country / Area | Activity | Name | Sex / Age | Injury | Species |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
03-11-2017 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Spearfishing | Benan Reintegrado | M /25 | Right thigh injured | 10' shark |
03-10-2013 | PHILIPPINES ,Palawan | Swimming to shore with floatioon devices after boat engine conked out | Alvin Lovido & John Paul Mangaoang | M /28 | Minor leg injuries | small sharks |
07-30-2011 | PHILIPPINES | Sea disaster | Fishing vessel. Occupants Gerry Malabago, Mark Anthony Malabago & 2 others | M /43 | The two Malabagos were bitten by sharks but survived. The other occupants of the boat were rescued. | |
04-20-2009 0500 | PHILIPPINES ,Batangas province | Swimming | Gerald Perez | M /23 | Legs bitten | |
11-25-2008 | PHILIPPINES ,Batanes Provine | Sinking of the cargo ship Mark Jason | 4 crew | M | Of the 20 crew, 4 were bitten by shark. None of their iinjuries were life-threatening | |
11-06-2008 10h00 -- 11h00 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon | Fishing | Joel Bacud | M /39 | Torso & righ arm bitten FATAL | |
09-30-2007 14h40 | PHILIPPINES ,Palawan | The 426-ton cargo ship Mia, laden with cement, capsized in heavy seas | M | FATAL Only 4 of the 18 on board were rescued, some of the missing were allegedly killed by sharks | ||
11-25-2006 14h20 | PHILIPPINES ,Surigao del Norte | Sea Disaster | Sinking of the m.v.Leonida | 15 perished but shark involvement prior to death was not confirmed | ||
05-01-2003 | PHILIPPINES ,Baatan | a resident of Barangay Luz | Arm severed | White shark | ||
05-18-2001 | PHILIPPINES ,Zamboanga del Sur Province | Shark fishing | Amir Badi | M /24 | Arm bitten PROVOKED INCIDENT | |
10-24-1988 | PHILIPPINES ,Viscayan Sea | The MV Dona Marilyn sank in Typhoon Unsang with the loss of 389 lives | According to survivors, many people were taken by sharks | |||
12-20-1987 | PHILIPPINES ,Mindoro | Ferry boat Dona Paz with 4431 passengers exploded & caught fire when she collided with an oil tanker | 25 people survived; 300 shark-mutilated bodies were recovered | |||
11-21-1983 | PHILIPPINES ,Central Philippines | Ferry boat sank | Arturo Garces | M | Left foot nipped | .5 m shark |
04-22-1980 Night | PHILIPPINES ,Romblon Province | Sinking of the ferryboat Don Juan | FATAL x 2 | |||
03-15-1980 | PHILIPPINES | Sinking of the ferryboat Bongbong 1 | 2 women | F | FATAL | |
06-10-1978 | PHILIPPINES ,Misamis Oriental | Dolores Margarita Corrales y Roa | F | FATAL | ||
12-18-1973 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon | Swimming | Ron Arney | M /19 | FATAL | |
06-01-1970 | PHILIPPINES ,200 nm southeast of Manila | Motor launch Baby Princesa capsized with 22 people on board | 2 people survived, 6 drowned & the others were killed by sharks | |||
10-10-1968 | PHILIPPINES ,Moro Gulf | Sinking of the ferryboat Dumaguete | a passenger | Survived | ||
11-04-1967 | PHILIPPINES ,Rombion Province | Sinking of the M/V Mindoro during a typhoon | Passengers taken by sharks | |||
05-16-1966 | PHILIPPINES | The passenger ship Pioneer Cebu capsized & sank in Typhoon Irma | male | M | 130 perished; 136 survived including a man whose foot was severed by a shark | |
08-30-1965 | PHILIPPINES | Arsinoe, a French tanker | French seaman | M | One man was lost, but he may have drowned | Shark involvement not confirmed |
05-14-1963 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Boat, with 42 passengers onboard, capsized in rough seas | Most were women & children | Of the 42 people on board, 5 died of exposure, others drowned or were taken by sharks. Survivors were rescued after spending 3 days in the water. | ||
10-17-1961 | PHILIPPINES ,Western Luzon Island | Gathering shells | fisherman | M | Right leg severed | |
06-05-1960 Morning | PHILIPPINES ,Corregidor Island | Diving for shells, saw shark circling wife near the surface, intercepted shark & it pulled him beneath the water | Leonardo Mendoza | M /58 | FATAL, body not recovered | |
04-01-1960 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Fishing, hooked shark towed boat out to sea, storm swamped boat | Nicaso Balanoba & Julian Dona | M | FATAL, due to drowning PROVOKED INCIDENT | |
12-19-1959 12h15 | PHILIPPINES ,Masbate | ship M.V. Rizal sank during typhoon | Mamerto Daanong, Tomas Inog & others | M | 65 people survived, 27 perished. Several people were bitten & one man lost his leg to a shark. | |
09-30-1959 | PHILIPPINES ,Leyte Island | Swimming | Francisco Daguinot | M /28 | No details, survived | |
08-20-1959 04h00 | PHILIPPINES ,North Palawan | The 240-ton motor vessel Pilar II with 100 people on board capsized in high winds & rough seas | boy | M /10 | Navy personnel reported that his body was mutilated by sharks but it is probable that death resulted from drowning | Shark involvement prior to death was not confirmed |
08-14-1959 Afternoon | PHILIPPINES ,Queaon | Fishing boat capsized | 15 shipwrecked passengers and crew were in the water | 10 of the 15 people perished, bodies of some who drowned were scavenged by sharks | ||
03-08-1959 | PHILIPPINES ,Mindanao | Lifeboat capsized | Leopoldo Sanchez, a messboy from the ship MV Maripaz | M /20 | FATAL, body not recovered | |
09-27-1953 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Bartolome Mangubat | M /23 | FATAL | ||
11-23-1951 | PHILIPPINES | Shipwrecked; adrift on raft for 2 days & 2 nights | 3 fishermen | M | FATAL, two men survived, one succumbed to shark bite & exhaustion | |
07-30-1945 | PHILIPPINES ,In transit between Tinian and Leyte | American cruiser Indianapolis torpedoed & sunk by the Japanese submarine I-58 | About 300 crew perished during the sinking, the remainder abandoned ship. Many who survived the loss of the ship were taken by sharks. In all, only 316 of her crew of 1,196 survived. | |||
10-26-1944 | PHILIPPINES | USS Gambier Bay CVE-73 shelled & sunk at 09h57 on 10/24/1944, by Japanes fleet enroute to attack the Allied landing force at Leyte. | A. man floating next to Charles G. Heinl | M | When survivors werer rescued on 10/27/1944 by PC 623 there were many sharks in the area | |
10-26-1944 | PHILIPPINES ,Bernardino Strait near Gulf of Leyte | USS Hoel DD 533 sunk on 10/24/1944 in the Battle off Samar. 2 crewmen were swimmng alongside a floater net & | 2 men | M | FATAL, both were killed by sharks | |
10-25-1944 | PHILIPPINES | Parachuted into Pacific | US Naval ensign | M | Shark grazed leg, leaving toothmarks | |
10-25-1944 | PHILIPPINES ,Off Samar Island in the Gulf of Leyte | USS Johnston DD 557 sunk on 10/24/1944 in the Battle off Samara. Crewmen were swimming beside a raft. | William Clinton Carter, Jr. & 2 other men | M | Clinton was bitten on his back, 2 others did not survive | |
01-01-1934 | PHILIPPINES | Diving | male | M | Minor wounds to thigh | |
04-16-1932 | PHILIPPINES ,Manila | Standing | male (civilian) | M | FATAL, torso bitten | |
04-16-1932 | PHILIPPINES ,Manila | Standing | female | F | FATAL, torso bitten | |
02-08-1932 | PHILIPPINES ,Manila | Working near fish traps | Filipino soldier | M | FATAL, died next day at 03h00 | |
05-29-1927 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Sea disaster | Inter island ferry Negros foundered during a typhoon | 55 perished, some were taken by sharks | ||
08-28-1921 15h00 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Swimming | Marcellus T. Abernathy, a US soldier in the 9th Coast Artillery | M /21 | FATAL, abdomen severely lacerated, taken by seaplane to hospital in Corrigedor but died | |
01-11-1921 | PHILIPPINES ,Cavite Province, Luzon | Buttons & shoes found in shark caught in fish trap | Questionable | |||
11-04-1920 | PHILIPPINES ,Leyte | The coastwise steamer San Basilio capsized in a typhoon | male | M | FATAL | |
05-31-1917 17h45 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Swimming | E.E., water tender of the U.S.S. Dale | M | FATAL, abdominal cavity removed | |
07-07-1916 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Bathing | a sailor from the U.S.S. Galveston | M | Right foot severed | |
11-30-1912 | PHILIPPINES | Swimming from foundered vessel | Bessie Lambert | F /19 | FATAL | |
01-01-1910 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Swimming | Lieut. James H. Stewart | M | Calf removed, not known if he survived | 6 m [20'] shark |
02-09-1907 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Row boat (from the gunboat Elcano) was sinking, put finger in hole | J.J. Dunlap | M | Finger severed | |
08-01-1905 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Bathing | Frank Abernathy | M /21 | Leg bitten | |
11-02-1904 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Bathing alongside US Naval ship | sailor, a boatswain's mate from the Piscataqua | M | Foot bitten | |
01-01-1904 | PHILIPPINES ,Quezon | Bathing | Lt. Edward Hearn | M | Left arm bitten | |
06-02-1902 | PHILIPPINES ,Zamboanga del Sur Province | Apy | M | Nose hanging by a threat, prints of shark's teeth over entire right cheek | ||
06-24-1901 15h00 | PHILIPPINES ,Western Viscayas | Swimming | S. McKie, apprentice 1st class on the U.S. Naval ship Annapolis | M | Left thigh stripped of flesh 4 above the knee | |
11-20-1899 | PHILIPPINES ,Mindoro Occidental | Sea Disaster | wreck of the steamship Hubeh | FATAL | ||
05-28-1899 | PHILIPPINES ,Negros | Swimming | Captain Tilly | M | FATAL | Shark involvement not confirmed |
07-03-1893 | PHILIPPINES ,Luzon Island | Abandoning burning steamship Don Juan | M | FATAL | ||
PHILIPPINES ,300 miles east of Luzon | Swimming near life raft | Nicholas Nagurney | M /19 | Arm bitten | 9' shark | |
PHILIPPINES ,Zamboanga del Sur Province | Taking catch from a fish weir in which the shark was snared | Dahkus, a Molussa Moro | M | Right thigh bitten | ||
PHILIPPINES ,Camiguin Island | Sailing from Gingood, Misamis Oriental to Sagay (normally a 2-day voyage) capsized with 6 on board, three men were taken by sharks when they attempted to swim to shore. | Andong & 2 others | M | FATAL | ||
PHILIPPINES ,Manila Bay | male | M | FATAL, abdomen severely bitten. Airplane summoned from Corregidor & injured man was lashed to wing, but he died |