Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Avoid areas where sharks are likely to feed. There are the obvious spots, like near fishermen or fishing boats, where bait, injured fish, and blood and guts are plentiful and may attract sharks.
This is where food, dead animals, and fish that are flowing down-stream enter the ocean, making them great spots for sharks to hang out. The sewage attracts fish, which will attract sharks. Sharks lurk in these areas to catch fish that wander out of the shallows. If there are seals pupping nearby or a population of other marine animals in the area, sharks may be hunting nearby and could easily confuse you with prey. Look for warning signs. If sharks have recently been sighted, there should be warnings posted on the beach - heed them.
If the beach is closed, come back another day. Stay out of the water during prime hunting times. Sharks generally feed at dawn, dusk, and night, so stick to late morning or afternoon sessions. Avoid murky water. Most shark attacks occur because the shark confused a surfer with prey. Visibility is low in cloudy water, making it more likely a shark will confuse you with a seal and attack. Rain can also stir up baitfish and attract sharks. Consider surfing in areas dense with kelp.
Some sharks, especially adult great whites, tend to avoid kelp forests. Take a break during the month of October.
Again, it's highly unlikely you will ever see a shark, but some experts believe that some sharks migrate closer to land during October, possibly to give birth. Method 2. Surf with friends. Instead of surfing alone, surf with a buddy or a group of people. Sharks target individuals and are less likely to approach a group. Most shark attack fatalities are due to not getting help fast enough. These could be important steps as the harm caused by shark attacks can extend far beyond their immediate victims.
He himself was attacked by a bull shark while surfing eight years ago in south-west Australia, nearly losing his arm when the animal smashed into him, bit into his forearm to the bone and carried him underwater. A spate of shark attacks on Reunion Island led to calls for the local authorities to take action beyond bans on swimming and surfing Credit: Getty Images.
On a recent visit to Ballina, a surfing hotspot in New South Wales, Australia, he saw just what a shark attack can do to a town. The area has suffered a spate of attacks, including two fatal ones on surfers in They were both thinking about closing. A similar story is unfolding in Reunion where the local authorities have banned surfing and swimming in the water at certain times of the year due to fears about further shark attacks.
The number of bites on humans have reduced as a result, but it has also taken its toll on the tourism industry. Forensic analysis of shark bite patterns is helping to reveal more about the species responsible for attacks and the reasons why they happen Credit: Alamy.
The personal effect of her attack, however, has been long lasting. Now I am scared of it. I used to think sharks were cool, but now I am terrified of them, although I still [have] respect for them. Her shark posters have gone, as has her enjoyment of the sea. Instead she tends to prefer swimming or kayaking on rivers. But she still has the occasional nightmare about sharks.
I ended up seeing a psychiatrist to help me get over this. Mighall still has the surfboard she was riding on the day of her attack, a huge toothy bite missing from one side. Like the scars on her leg, it is a reminder of what can happen on the rare occasions that sharks do choose to attack the humans who stray into their domain.
They both entitle her to fear these animals. For those who fear them without having had such a close encounter she has a sound piece of advice. Gavin Naylor and his colleagues at the Florida Program for Shark Research have come up with several tips to help people stay safe when in the water inhabited by sharks. You can get more tips from this entertaining, but informative video made using Lego by Naylor's children. Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Worst Case Scenario Shark. The real reasons why sharks attack humans. Share using Email. By Richard Gray. Humans are like ungainly packets of meat when paddling in the ocean and should be easy prey compared to fast-moving fish and seals. So, why are so few people attacked by sharks? But then something took hold of her leg. The water around Mighall exploded as a five-metre-long great white shark latched onto her right leg.
The shark came with us all the way up to the beach — Hannah Mighall. We are like helpless little sausages floating around in the water — Gavin Naylor. But attacks also take place in steep underwater drop-offs, where divers often swim.
Sharks have to make quick decisions to capture food and, sometimes, the predator misinterprets humans for their natural food items. When that happens, sharks put their teeth to work and generate 40,pound of pressure per square inch that crushes flesh and bones in the split of a second. The most deadly shark species are the white shark Carcharodon carcharias , the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier , and the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas. There are three main types of unprovoked shark attacks: the hit-and-run attacks, the bump-and-bit attacks, and the sneak attacks.
In other words, sharks have three different attack strategies. In the hit-and-run attacks, the shark inflicts a small laceration on the victim, swims away, and never returns. It's the most common shark attack, the less dangerous, and usually involves surfers and swimmers.
The bump-and-bite attack usually occurs in deep waters. The shark circles and bumps the victim before inflicting potentially deadly wounds. Shark attacks are more likely to occur at dawn and dusk, precisely when they're more active searching for food.
Two words: Shark Week. Yes, that self-indulging, endlessly entertaining program that runs annually in the United States on the Discovery Channel is, in a nutshell, the reason we fear sharks like we fear in-laws and flash floods. We watch in strange, horrified glee as an foot jaw of death devours an adorable little seal pup. The media in all forms loves sharks, from the Discovery Channel to Hollywood movies to local news networks. More specifically, they love stories that sell — stories like plane crashes, celebrity scandals, kidnappings, fires, landslides, and tornadoes.
Plus, they can eat you. Mass media aside, are sharks really that dangerous to humans, and specifically, surfers? Roughly 65 people are attacked by sharks each year worldwide.
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