By the Numbers
First of all, before I lose your attention, lets look at the number of shark attacks and fatalities in Florida over the last decade. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, there were 279 shark attacks from 1994 through 2004 with three fatalities. Those fatalities occurred one each in 1998, 2000 and 2001. That compares with 405 shark attacks and eight fatalities for the entire United States during that same time span.In another comparison, from 1959 to 2003, there were 425 lightning fatalities within the state and only eight shark fatalities out of 466 attacks during those years. During the same time, there were 13 fatalities inflicted by 325 alligator attacks. That means the fatality rate for shark attacks was less at 1.5% than the fatality rate for alligator attacks at 3.6%.
Portions of Florida are known as "tornado alley" and even though there were a whopping 1036 tornados and 69 fatalities related to the storms between 1985 and 1999, there were but two fatalities out of 213 shark attacks during those years. That means you were six percent more likely to get killed by a tornando than a shark.
Even bees, wasps and snakes kill more people each year than sharks.
Feel better? If not, maybe if you understand the shark and its habits a little more it might help.
Super Senses and Feeding Frenzies
Sharks have been around for about 400 million years. Perhaps it is the combination of their super senses that has helped them to survive such a long time. Their keenest sense is smell and it is thought two-thirds of their brain is dedicated to that sense. Other senses include vision, hearing, taste, vibration and electro-perception.My niece can attest to the electro-perception. She went on a diving trip to Figi and came face-to-face with the shark in this photo. It seems that they are attracted to cameras and will often come up and bump the lens before deciding it isn't on their dinner menu. Yikes!
In fact, when it comes to the shark's dinner, they normally eat alone, but sometimes are attracted to prey when others are feeding. It is then that they'll wildly chomp and bite (even each other) creating what is known as a feeding frenzy.
A shark's sense of sight and vibration have a good bit to do with shark attacks. A sudden splash in the water — as when a diver jumps into deep water — will attract the attention of a shark in the vicinity. A shark will often nearly bite the flipper of a snorkeler that was quietly gliding along without splashing. It is believed the reflection of the snorkeler's flipper is preceived as food. The same is true of beach-goers swimming and splashing in the water. It may be a case of mistaken idenity, with the white of skin being mistaken for a bait fish. Ironically, most sharks though are afraid of the bubbles made by divers and seldom will cross above a diver for that reason. However, the Tiger and Great White are not — probably because their large size make them fearless.
Reduce Your Risk of Shark Attacks
Risks should always be minimized whenever possible in any activity. George H. Burgess of the International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, suggests the following to reduce your risk of a shark attack:
- Always stay in groups since sharks are more likely to attack a solitary individual.
- Do not wander too far from shore.
- Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active.
- Do not enter the water if bleeding or you have an open wound.
- Do not wear shiny jewelry.
- Avoid uneven tanning and bright colored clothing. Sharks see contrast particularly well.
- Use extra caution when waters are murky.
- Do not splash excessively.
- Favorite hangouts for sharks are the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffs. Stay away from those areas.
- Do not allow pets in the water because of their erratic movements and splashing.
And, finally...
- Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present and get out of the water if sharks are seen.
The Bottom Line
Always use caution when swimming, snorkeling or diving. All sharks are dangerous and unpredictable, but the Bull and Tiger sharks are particularly aggressive. If confronted by a shark, a hard tap on the snout might stop them from biting. Unfortunately, most people who are attacked do not see the shark before it bites, but remember that the chances of coming into contact with a shark or being bitten are still relatively slim — some say as little as 1 in 11.5 million. In fact, you are more likely to drown first — those numbers are only 1 in 3.5 million.
