A 28-year-old tourist from Mexico City died after being attacked and dragged out to sea by a crocodile at Marina Vallarta Beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday, June 26, 2026, at approximately 6:30 p.
m. local time.
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The Jalisco State Police and local authorities identified the victim as Irving Mauricio. He was visiting the popular beach destination with a group of friends.
According to the Government of Jalisco and the Mexican Navy, an overnight search and rescue operation on land and at sea concluded Saturday morning.
Responders recovered the victim's body approximately 300 meters offshore.
Emergency responders and bystanders attempted to intervene during the attack.
The incident occurred in front of the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa before the victim was pulled under the water.
Chris Bury, a tourist from San Clemente who witnessed the incident from the hotel pool, attempted to rescue the man using a life preserver and a paddleless kayak.
"It's pretty traumatizing," said Bury.
Bury stated that the victim was in shock and could not respond to instructions to grab the life preserver before a kayak became available.
"There were no oars. There was really nothing at the beach at all to help.
We were just scrambling, trying to do what we could," Bury said. "I was on the kayak right when he got pulled under."
Bury noted that the water was highly obscured during his rescue attempt, preventing him from seeing beneath the surface.
