Dispelling the Myths About Sharks

Bull Sharks are listed as number three in the man-eating sharks (after the Great White and Tiger Sharks) but some believe they are the number one man-eater. So why swim with them? Let’s dispel the myths and look at the facts.

Sharks Are Man-Eaters

Yes, there are man-eating sharks out there. They do eat people but there are very few individuals that end up attacking and eating a person, and very rare cases (but well publicised) of man-eating sharks going on a feeding frenzy. If you look at big cats there is a good chance a hungary Lion will attack if you get too close on the African plains. For a Tiger in the Asian jungle this is less likely and in most parks where there are Tigers you are relatively safe walking along paths. The main danger is going off paths and getting close to a mother with young. Most Tiger attacks are by those that get a taste for human flesh, or old, weak and hungry animals, usually outside the best habitats and parks. In the Amazon, attacks by Jaguars are extremely rare - and so are attacks by sharks at sea.

It is so rare that some argue that sharks don’t like eating people. After all, there are quite few Great Whites along the Californian coast but attacks are rare - about one to two a year despite all those surfers. Perhaps young sharks attack people to discover they don’t like them? If this was true, surely there would still be far more attacks by young sharks. Perhaps, with their senses they perceive we are all bone, a bit odd, and not worth the bother! Perhaps they tend to be wary of us.

Man-eating sharks are out there but very rare. And in quite a few claimed ’man-eating’ cases the person was already dead, such as a drowning victim. And some 'man-eaters' (like with big cats), may start to attack after intially feeding on dead bodies.

But most shark attacks are just that - an 'attack' - and most will survive such an attack. Fatalities from attacks are rare, either due to mistaken ’feeding attacks’ (a big shark attacking what it thinks is prey before swimming way) and from bleeding/shock/drowning. These fatalities make up most of the deaths by sharks - not by man-eaters. So why may a shark attack you?

Sharks Mistake People for Their Natural Prey

Most attacks are not by sharks that want to eat humans - so could it be a case of mistaken identity? For a smaller shark the victim may survive, or bleed to death if the wounds were serious. If a large shark attacks a human assuming it was something else (e.g. a seal), there is a very good chance the victim will be dead when the shark that was planning to attack and kill more fimiliar prey. However,  in some cases that shark may swim away, realising its mistake. The victim might be dead (even bitten in half!), but may not be eaten in certain cases, or the shark may warily circle back to find out what it had attacked. Mistaken 'prey' attacks do occur and may result in fatalties, whether the victim is eaten or not, but these attacks appeasr to be rare considering a Great White can tell the species, the age and even the health of a seal.

There are also ways to avoid that rare event of being ’mistaken’ for shark prey. In areas with seals where Great White Sharks occur a bright wetsuit/drysuit is a better idea than wearing an all dark suit that mimics the colour of a seal.

In tropical waters close to feeding sharks the flash of a bare hand may be mistaken for the flash of a distressed fish and wearing dark gloves lessens confusion.

But I want to make it clear that attacks due to mistaken identity does not explain most attacks for sharks - animals that are so in tune with their environment.  

Sharks Attack Out of Curiosity

Sharks will go after a surfboard and people are bitten. But if a large shark wanted to eat you it could quite easily rip you apart. Experts now believe many ’attacks’ are by sharks being inquisitive by chasing and mouthing an object - rather like a dog chasing and grabbing a stick. It happens to be you it can be rather distressing and with a severe bite people can bleed to death - loss of blood and shock causing most deaths through shark attacks, rather than being eaten. But in most cases it is a nip or even just a gentle ’hold’ by the shark and in most cases an inquisitive shark will just cruise close by and even bump you. The best thing is to give it a thump back so it knows you are not to be messed with - after all you are another large animal.

These sort of attacks occur, but considering the number of sharks in many surfing areas, they are not the frequent.

Sharks Attack Because You Are in Their Territory

There is one situation where thumping a shark is not a good idea - when you are in its territory. It can happen with Grey Reef Sharks in certain parts of the Pacific where they are very territorial and it could happen with almost any shark, including a dogfish! If a shark arches it’s back and exaggerates it’s movements it is telling you to go away - rather like the signal of a growling dog. If you see this, swim away, otherwise it will suddenly turn to ram and even bite you.

Shark Feeding Is Resulting in Increasing Shark Attacks

Concerning the shark feeds, especially with the shark attacks in Florida, many are blaming the shark feeding for sharks loosing their fear and attacking people. WRONG! Yes, statistically Florida has the most shark attacks in the world but this has been the case for a number of years and well before shark feeding for divers started. Furthermore, most Florida attacks are by sharks that have nothing to do with the shark feeds that are a long way from the attacks. Also, as mentioned earlier, sharks have been fed around fishing locations with the remains of fish for years whilst leaving most people alone. So why do they attack sometimes?

Sharks Attack Because They Look Upon You As Competition

This is now believed to be the main reason for most shark attacks. Sharks that may be chasing a distressed fish will push each other out of the way with open mouths and it is now believed most attacks are of this type - showing any potential competition for food that they are the boss! It can be a spear fisherman that has a caught a fish. With a fish in distress any shark nearby will charge in to grab the fish and in some cases they will charge the spear fisherman and bite them or push them out of the way. This is also thought to be the case in some of the Florida cases where people have been swimming close to fisherman and sharks have ’attacked’ as they have gone for the distressed fish on the line.

In Florida there have been a number of cases of smaller sharks attacking children and one the argument is that is having people fishing from beaches where people are swimming is nota good idea. Sharks will go for a fish that is one a line, chasing it as it is reeled in and biting and pushing away other sharks to get there first. These sharks may back away from any adults in the water since they are too big, but they may attack smaller children they way the would atack other small sharks that are looked upon as competition as the sharks go going for the fish on the line. The moral of the story is to seperate fishing beaches from swimming beaches.

"Beware of Coconuts!"

Yes, occasionally there are man-eaters out there but they are rare, and so are non-lethal attacks. If you want to put statistics in place, more people in the tropics die from coconuts that fall on their heads then from shark attack! And in general, when it comes to diving, the most dangerous part is driving a car to go diving, so let’s get things into perspective. Yes, sharks can be dangerous so respect them. As for the shark feeds, I would advise against feeding sharks by hand (just like feeding a dog by hand). However, I am not against using the frozen chumsical in the Bahamas where sharks swim past divers to get to the bait that is at a safe distance from the diver. The few cases of bites is where divers have just got too close to the action. This is usually photographers who are told to wear gloves to the hide the pale colour of the hand so the shark does not mistake the white flash of colour for a bit of a dead fish if the diver gets too close.

In the following list sharks only just get in the top 10 of dangerous animals - and I am not sure if they should be there at all. Most sharks I have encountered are either shy, uninterested, or just curious.

FATALITIES PER YEAR

10 - ‘BEARS’, 5-10 FATALITIES PER YEAR? May be more with Sloth Bear attacks in India.
9 - ‘SHARKS’, c10-100?
8 - ‘JELLYFISH’, c100
7- HIPPOS, 100-150
6 - ‘ELEPHANT’, 300-500
5 - ‘CROCODILE’, 600-800
4 - ‘CATS’, c800
3 - ‘SCORPIONS’, c800-2000
2 - ‘SNAKES’, 50,000-125,000 - mainly people working in the field and working close to undergrowth.

Number one is the mosquito (due to Malaria) with 2 to 3 million deaths per year. So stop worrying about sharks if you don’t take malaria tablets when you are advised to!

These statistics are for wild animals. As for pets, in the USA alone there are 4 million attacks by dogs per year! About  800,000 require medical attention with around 12 to 20 deaths! So don’t go on about how dangerous sharks are if you will stroke a dog! In many ways respecting sharks is like the approach to dogs. Most are OK, but you should alway respect and assess the behaviour and mood of the animal before getting too close.

And if you are worried about sharks on your travels, the following statistic will put it all into perspective. Worldwide there are 50 million injuries due to motor accidents and 1.2 million deaths. For all of us the most dangerous thing to do is get in a car or to cross the road!  

Help Sharks

Thousands of sharks die due to the horror of shark fining and, sadly, this means the chances of swimming with Blue Sharks in the UK off places like the Lizard are probably not going to work since the population is now so low. Did you know that some shark populations may be down by 80%? In places like Walker’s Cay where there is shark feeding using a ’chumsicle’ the sharks are looked after and increasing, looking upon the area as a refuge where they can socialise. So help shark conservation by going shark diving - check out The Shark Watcher’s Handbook by Mark Carwardine and Ken Watterson (BBC books). You can also do your bit by joining the Shark Trust - see www.sharktrust.org or write to the Shark Trust, National Marine Aquarium, Rope Walk, Coxside, Plymouth PL4 0LF.