I dive, snorkel, fish, swim in the sea and have a great deal of respect for marine life. We regularly see Bull Shark swimming inside the reef when out fishing.
We must remember that sharks and crocs are predators, just like we are and we are competing for the same resources (territory and food) that they are.
Shark are fished locally for sport and for food. Shark meat is pretty tasty. Bull sharks are listed as low risk on the endangered species list, but they are still at risk.
Sadly, as humans succeed in expanding their territory, we will gradually wipe out other large predators. There are many land predators on the brink of extinction now because of this.
Accidents with sharks are just that, accidents. Sharks aren't evil, vindictive or spiteful. Just curious and hungry. I do have concerns that the behaviour of some tour leaders and dive masters is likely to lead to a serious accident with sharks as they chum the water for the benefit of tourists. I know of one or two reef shark bite incidents.
Personally, I feel that the land sharks in Belize are far more worrisome and as long as we all behave sensibly in the sea - follow safety instructions, don't spear fish unless you really know what you are doing, don't chum, don't try to touch or interfere with wildlife - you will be able to enjoy the seas of Belize. You may even be lucky enough to see sharks or dolphins (also large sea faring predators that have had accidents with people). Be conscious that your grandchildren may never get the same opportunity because many of these species will be wiped out by the time they are adults.
But for those of you who love terrorising yourselves with scary shark tales:
http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_037084046.html