The Siboney beach, the most popular resort in Santiago de Cuba, was officially declared open this Thursday at 11:25 in the morning, after divers completed a thorough assessment of the area and ruled out any risk due to the presence of sharks, according to announced Aris Arias Batalla, provincial head of Aquatic Safety Operations and Rescue.
"No danger or risk, therefore the beach is declared open," said Arias Batalla in his statement, in which he also displayed the green flag hoisted as a signal for safe swimming.
After the reopening, the official urged the people of Santiago to enjoy the beach calmly: "Enjoy a healthy and safe recreation at Playa Siboney."
The closure had been ordered on Tuesday after the sighting of a shark approximately two meters long that had been swimming along the coast since Sunday.
The monitoring that allowed for the reopening was carried out by a multisectoral team consisting of divers from the Baconao Aquarium, personnel from the Rescue and Salvage Unit, and local fishermen with experience, coordinated with specialists from the Eastern Center for Ecosystems and Biodiversity (BIOECO).
The incident raised alarm among the people of Santiago, partly due to the authorities' delay in responding.
A neighbor identified as Dagmara Maceira recorded a video in which she reported with distress that the animal had been just meters away from where her daughters were bathing, and publicly denounced the presence of the fish on the beach for several days without any danger signs being placed or any restrictions established.
"It's incredible how there are sharks at Siboney beach for days and no one is saying anything; there is no sign of danger at the beach, swimming hasn't been prohibited, and the beach hasn't been closed," Maceira wrote on social media.
Despite the official closure announced on Tuesday, Arias Batalla himself acknowledged that some people continued to enter the water, ignoring the warnings from the authorities.
Siboney, located about 15 km east of the provincial capital along the southern coast of the Caribbean Sea, sees its highest influx precisely between June and September, coinciding with summer and school vacations, which amplified the impact of the shutdown on the population.
The incident adds to a series of similar episodes reported in Cuba. In May, a shark weighing over 500 kg was captured at Yumurí beach in Baracoa, and in December 2024, several sharks swam close to the shore at Cayo Santa María in Villa Clara, forcing the temporary evacuation of beachgoers.
Historically, shark attacks in Cuba are very rare: between 1749 and 2023, approximately 47 incidents were recorded throughout the archipelago, with 23 confirmed deaths. The last fatal attack occurred in November 2017 in Guardalavaca, Holguín, where a 22-year-old young man lost his life.
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