As the annual shark week concludes, I thought this would be a good time to discuss shark attacks. Fortunately, they are extremely rare. It has been estimated that there are 75 attacks every year around the world. The US has the highest number of shark attacks followed by Australia. However, Australia has the highest number of fatalities following shark attacks. There are almost 500 species of sharks but only 3 of these are responsible for most of the attacks: the great white, tiger and bull species. Rarely do sharks bite humans because they are mistaken for prey. Humans in fact do not have enough meat or fat to be nourishing to sharks. Many times a shark will bite just once as exploration because that is how they explore things in their environment. After that one bite, they often swim away. But, that 1 bite can be devastating and even fatal for humans.
Some interesting statistics from National Geographic:
– 93% of shark attacks happen on men
– in 2010, 50.8% of the victims were surfers
– in the same year, swimmers and waders accounted for 38% of attacks
– Over the last half century, there have been more shark attacks in Florida between the hours of 2pm and 3pm than any other time
– New Smyrna Beach Florida has been considered the shark capital of the world
– September is the month for most shark attacks in Florida
– 201 out of 220 shark attacks have occurred when the victim was less than 6 feet from the surface
– In the US, there is an average of 19 shark attacks a year with one fatality every 2 years
– For every human killed by a shark, humans kill approximately 2 million sharks.
While it is extremely rare to be attacked by a shark, it is important to know what to do if it happens and how to prevent it. People who have been bitten tend to lose blood rapidly. Emergency medical treatment can be life-saving. 9-1-1 should be called immediately to activate the EMT’s to the scene.
– prevention is the best treatment. Avoid swimming in murky waters.
– If you feel something brush up against you while you are in the water, get out. Leave the water quickly and calmly without excessive splashing.
-Stay with a group of people. Sharks usually attack isolated swimmers. If a shark is next to you, stay as still as possible.
– if fish start to act oddly, leave the water. It may be a sign that a shark is near.
– if a shark is near, don’t take your eyes off of it. Different species of sharks have different methods of attack.
– do not stay in the shark’s path. Do not be between it and the open ocean.
– if you are about to be attacked, defend yourself. Do not use your bare hands or feet. Aim for the shark’s eyes or gills. This is their most sensitive part.
– if the shark gets you in its mouth, attack as aggressively as possible. Do not play dead. Pound on the eyes and gills.
– if bitten, try to stop the bleeding by applying pressure dressings and tourniquets.
– if you are a bystander, try to get the victim out of the water as quickly as possible. Try to control the bleeding as you are getting out of the water.
– keep the victim war, by applying blankets and preventing heat loss
– try not to move the victim needlessly.
Thankfully, shark attacks are a very rare happening. They can be avoided in most cases if common sense and preventative measures are followed. Attacks will still happen and it is important to respond immediately and activate the proper medical specialists as soon as possible. Hopefully, these measures can make shark fatalities even less frequent.
