Quebec diving company details how diver was bitten by great white shark
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A diver who was bitten by a shark earlier this week in Quebec is still in hospital but in stable condition, according to his colleague at the local diving centre.
“I just spoke with him about half an hour ago,” said Jean-François Vézina, vice-chair of Plongée Percé’s board of directors, over the phone on Saturday. “I don’t want to go into too much detail about the nature of the injuries, but we’re talking about multiple lacerations.”
The diver was taken to hospital on Wednesday after being bitten by a great white shark off Percé, Que., on the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula.
According to Vézina, the injured diver was a divemaster in training. He was bitten and injured to the upper body.
“This is the first time this has happened in Percé,” said Vézina. “Sharks have been spotted here before, but we’ve never had any encounters.”
The diving centre released new details about the incident on social media on Friday, saying the incident happened during a routine 10-metre diving session with a student.
According to the latest post, six divers were in the water, divided into two teams. The first team consisted of a divemaster guiding two divers. The divemaster in training, an instructor and a Level One diver made up the second team.
The attack happened at the end of a 33-minute dive, during a three-minute safety stop at five metres below the surface.
Vézina said the instructor and his student were holding the safety stop line, while the diver who was bitten was nearby.
The instructor then heard a noise behind him. When he turned around, he saw a great white shark “in contact” with the diver. The animal swam away within seconds, the company wrote.
“We’re not shark experts, but it certainly happened in a rather sneaky way,” said Vézina.
The three divers on the team immediately left the water and boarded the company boat. Once on board, the injured diver, who was conscious, removed his own equipment and received first aid.
The Coast Guard was then contacted to coordinate the diver’s return.
According to the company, the three other divers in the group were unaware of the incident during their dive.
The divemaster guided them to the rocks of a nearby island, where they remained safe. They were then retrieved safely, the company wrote.
Shortly after the attack, the company announced that all of its diving activities have been suspended for the rest of the season as a precaution.
“Of course, our thoughts are with the victim, our colleague,” said Vézina.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 19, 2026.