Overview
- The fatal attack in Puerto Vallarta on June 26 that killed a visitor has prompted new alerts from federal and local agencies and renewed public concern about beach safety.
- Nayarit officials say the state has not recorded a similar death but identified Bahía de Banderas, Compostela and San Blas as the most vulnerable coastal municipalities and urged people to avoid flagged zones.
- Experts and PROFEPA point to mangrove loss from tourism and real-estate development plus rainy-season flows that can carry crocodiles from rivers and lagoons into open water as the main drivers of increased encounters.
- Authorities and tourism operators are emphasizing prevention measures such as respecting the purple 'bandera morada' that signals harmful fauna, avoiding water near estuary mouths, not feeding wildlife, and following hotel safety protocols.
- Sightings cluster near river mouths, estuaries and coastal lagoons across regions including Yucatán, Tamaulipas, Cancún and Ixtapa, and officials warn the situation could lead to more beach closures and heavier monitoring during the rainy season.