In the last period, Shark attacks on humans appear to have increased significantlysparking panic among beachgoers on American coasts. In the month of June 2024 alone, several incidents were reported, which also resulted in one victim: the legendary surfer, lifeguard and actor from Honolulu, Tamayo Perry, who appeared in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films, was attacked while surfing in Hawaii.
In Florida, authorities have temporarily closed popular tourist destinations after three people were injured in two separate shark attacks within 90 minutes of each other on nearby beaches in Walton County. In another attack, a 14-year-old boy was bitten in the leg by a shark on a beach in North Carolina. The latest incident was on July 4, Independence Day, when four people were injured by a shark in the waters off a beach in South Padre Island, Texas.
But while these kinds of encounters can understandably worry potential swimmers, there’s no reason to panic about your next beach vacation. The chances of being attacked by a shark are in fact extremely low..
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File found only 69 confirmed, unprovoked shark attacks on humans and 36 confirmed bites worldwide in 2023. That’s down from 2022. When compared to the world’s population (over 8 billion people), the chances of drowning are much, much higher. That said, according to shark experts interviewed by CNN Travel, There are steps you can take to increase your chances of survival during an attack..
What to do before entering the water
Know your environment: Sharks are saltwater creatures. The ocean is their home; we are their visitors. “If you go into the ocean, you have to assume that you’re going to encounter a shark, no matter when or where that happens,” said Neil Hammerschlag, director of the shark research and conservation program at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School. “Fortunately, humans are not on the menu, and fortunately, sharks tend to avoid people.” However, there are places where you’re more likely to encounter a shark.
River mouths are not the best place for swimmingEstuaries should be avoided, says Richard Peirce, an author, shark expert and former chairman of the U.K.-based Shark Trust and Shark Conservation Society. Their often murky waters are favored by bull sharks, which are the most likely to attack humans, along with great whites and tiger sharks. “A lot of attacks happen in river mouths, where there’s silt and other material floating in the river: people washing their clothes, people washing themselves,” Peirce said. Another area where an encounter is more likely: the deeper channels between the coast and the sandbars further out.
Avoid fishing areas. Before jumping into the sea, take a look at the horizon. If there are fishing boats, it is best to turn back. “Whether the fishing activity is commercial or recreational, often the waste material or unwanted dead fish become bait in the water and attract the attention of sharks,” Peirce said.
Before entering, it is a good idea to pay attention to unusual fish activity, such as a bunch of small to medium-sized fish jumping out of the water. This is a possible sign that a shark may be nearby. It is also advised not to swim within 50 meters of where someone is fishing from the shore.
Avoid sunset and sunrise. Swimming in the early morning or evening can be wonderful, but it’s also the time when you’re most likely to experience a shark attack. “Many shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity,” says Peirce, “due to the shark’s reduced visibility and ability to identify.”
Join the lifeguards. Lifeguards may be able to tell you a lot about shark activity on their beach, and more importantly, about rip currents and other dangerous situations. Chris Lowe, a professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, recommends “doing your homework” before venturing into unfamiliar waters. Do a little research on the species you might encounter in different locations. If you have any questions, ask a local lifeguard: “I always advise people to go to a patrolled beach. It’s much safer.”
Don’t wear shiny objects in water. “Be careful of jewelry and anything that sparkles because sharks are always looking for fish,” Lowe said. In murky water, a shark might think that flash is a sign of a meal.
follow your instinct. “Probably the most important thing is to follow your instincts,” Hammerschlag said. “If you feel hesitant to go in the water … just don’t go in the water.” “A lot of people who have been bitten have actually said they had a strange feeling before, like an inner voice was telling them to get out of the water and they didn’t listen,” he said.
What to do if a shark is nearby
Don’t panic. “Don’t start squirming in the water; that will only excite, incite and encourage the shark’s interest,” Peirce said. Humans, monkeys, dogs and cats all have paws and hands. If we want to explore something, we pick it up and touch it, feel it, put it to our nose. “A shark doesn’t have paws or hands, so if it wants to explore something, the only ability it has is to put it in its mouth.” That’s why we often get exploratory bites that don’t cause death and sometimes don’t even cause serious injury. If you go swimming and splash around, you’re almost inviting the shark to come and give you an exploratory or attack bite.”
Maintain eye contact. As the shark swims around you, keep your head on a swivel and try to maintain eye contact. “Sharks are ambush predators,” Peirce explained. “If you turn around and face them the whole time as they circle you, they’re not going to like it as much as if they were sneaking up on you from behind.” Hammerschlag agrees, saying you should position your body toward the shark so it knows you can see it and are following it. Then slowly backtrack toward the exit to a boat or shore.
If you’re surfing, follow the shark with your board, Lowe said. “It lets the shark know it’s being watched.”
Stay big or go small. Here’s where it gets tricky. If a shark is clearly in attack mode, you want to make yourself as large as possible in the water, according to Peirce. “The bigger you are in the water, the more respect you’ll get,” he said. But if it looks like the shark is just walking by, Peirce’s advice is to curl up. “If a shark sees you as a competitor for its food source, that can be one of the reasons it attacks you,” he explained. “If I didn’t want a great white to see me as a competitor, and if it wasn’t showing much interest in me, I would curl up so it would show even less interest in me.”
If you have been attacked
Don’t play dead. This isn’t a bear, it’s a shark. If you find yourself in an aggressive encounter, give it a good lesson: Punch, kick and poke sensitive spots, but be careful where you aim. “There’s a lot of talk about punching a shark in the nose. That’s fine, but remember that just below the nose is a mouth,” Peirce said. “This is a moving object in the water and you can’t even stay still, so what you don’t want to do is end up hitting the mouth or something nearby.” A good jab to the gills can also do the trick: “Gills are very sensitive, so jabbing a shark in the gills is not a bad idea.”
Do you carry anything with you? If so, turn it into a weapon. “If you’re a diver with an underwater camera, use it. If you’re a snorkeler, rip off your snorkel and hit the shark with it,” Peirce advises. “I’ve had a lot of sharks come at me, and all I have to do is use a little tool, a little metal rod about two to three feet long, and give them a little push on the nose.”
It’s a good idea to swim with other people, Lowe said. Not only does it decrease your chances of an attack, he said, but you have someone to help you get to a boat or shore if you get bitten.
Cutting the corners. If you’re a diver and you’re in trouble, try to get into a position where the shark can’t come up behind you, Peirce advises. “Keep your back to something like a reef. Then you only have one direction to look. You’re protected from behind, for example, and that allows you to keep an eye on the shark in front of you and maybe swim slowly toward the top of the reef.”
Move away slowly. Move as little water as possible. Try not to squirm or splash as you gradually swim backwards toward the shore. “You want to try to keep the animal in sight and very slowly and gently try to swim backwards and into the shallow water. Again, you have to be careful: large sharks can attack at very shallow depths.”
Doing the above can help to a certain extent, but Peirce stressed that the chances of surviving without injury when a large shark attacks are slim. “If a white shark is in full attack mode, there’s not much you can do at that point.”
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