Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, June 27, 2026 – Authorities recovered the body of a 28-year-old tourist Saturday morning after an overnight search near Marina Vallarta, where witnesses said a crocodile attacked him Friday evening and dragged him into the sea.
The search began near the beach in front of the Marriott hotel and ended near Estero Boca Negra, one of Puerto Vallarta’s known crocodile corridors. The crocodile was captured before dawn, and the body was located around 7 a.m. by personnel involved in the marine search.
The victim was identified locally by first name as Irving, from Mexico City. I am identifying him only that way here because state authorities had not released a full public identification by publication time.
Search began Friday evening near the Marriott
Emergency crews were called to the Marina Vallarta beach area Friday evening after the man’s companions reported that a crocodile had taken him into the water. Municipal Civil Protection Director Misael López Muro said the first report came around 6 p.m., and that witnesses told crews the animal “he grabbed him and took him away.”
Crews from Puerto Vallarta Civil Protection and Firefighters, Jalisco Civil Protection, lifeguards, municipal environmental staff, and the Navy searched by land and sea through the night. PVDN first reported the missing tourist search before the body was found Saturday morning.
The crocodile was captured around 2:30 a.m. near Boca de Tomates. The search continued until the body was recovered in waters near Estero Boca Negra, then turned over to municipal lifeguards while forensic authorities handled the next steps.
A beach beside crocodile habitat
The area between Marina Vallarta, Boca Negra, and Boca de Tomates is not an ordinary swimming zone. It sits beside mangrove and estuary habitats, where crocodile movement is expected, especially during the rainy season.
University of Guadalajara crocodile specialist Pablo Hernández Hurtado has described Puerto Vallarta as “un lugar de tránsito del cocodrilo,” with movement through beaches, river mouths, estuaries, and the sea. He has also identified Boca Negra and Boca de Tomates as places where crocodiles are more likely to be present because the estuary lies directly behind the beach. The university’s crocodile guidance urges people to stay away from crocodiles, keep children and pets back, avoid touching or provoking them, and report sightings to Protección Civil or 911.
PVDN has reported repeated crocodile-related beach warnings, including a rainy-season crocodile watch along bay beaches, lifeguard training for crocodile response, and earlier warnings after crocodiles were seen near popular beach areas.
