An evil grey fin poking from a calm sea's surface, jagged rows of sharp teeth, torn human bodies left to rot on beaches. If that, or the movie Jaws, is all that comes to mind when you think of sharks, it's time to update your knowledge.
Victoria, with its 2500 kilometres of coastline in a country that has 170 types of sharks, may feel like the ideal setting for a shark attack. In reality, our encounters with these marine monsters have been few and attacks have been even fewer.
To clear the air, we have put together a list of 10 questions about sharks in Victoria that you probably have wondered about at some point, but never found the answers to.
1. What kind of sharks are in Victoria?
The famous – and feared – great white shark. Photo: iStock
Victorian waters are home to at least seven varieties of sharks, according to Fisheries Victoria. These include heavyweights like the seven-metre, three-tonne great whites but also smaller relatives of the shark family like the iridescent elephant sharks that don't grow past 1.5 metres.
Three other species, the bronze whalers, the grey nurses, and the broadnose sevengills come close to the three-metre mark. The tie-and-dye Port Jacksons, and the gummies don't even grow to two metres. The good news is, Victoria doesn't have any 10-metre giant sharks waiting for you.
2. How dangerous are they?
Tiger sharks are uncommon in Victoria. Photo: Supplied
Of the 170 species of sharks found in Australia, only four are considered dangerous to humans. These are the tiger shark, the bull shark, the great whites, and the dusky sharks. Fortunately, bull sharks and tiger sharks, permanent fixtures in shark attack news stories, are uncommon in Victoria. The number of dusky sharks in Victoria is also negligible. However, the state does host three species of dangerous sharks: the great whites, the bronze whalers and to a lesser extent, sevengill sharks, says Dallas D'Silva of Fisheries Victoria.
In general, sharks only attack when they feel threatened by a human. But if they do, they have the power to rip surfboards or even human torsos in half. At other times, the victim may be able to cycle home.
3. How many fatal attacks have occurred in Victoria in the past?
Steven Spielberg's monster shark in Jaws was particularly hungry. Photo: Universal / The Kobal Collection
Shark attacks have claimed 13 recorded victims in Victoria since the first recorded fatality in 1849, per Shark Attack Data. For comparison, Jaws munched through 21 people in just over two hours.
Thankfully, a combination of proactive emergency services, intelligent swimmers and good fortune has prevented any fatalities in over 60 years. The last shark-related death in Victorian waters was John Patrick Wishard. The 26-year-old died in an attack at Portsea beach in 1956.
4. How will you be warned if there's a shark at the beach?
Shark warnings are advisory only. You cannot normally be forced to leave the water. Photo: Darren Pateman
Shark warnings across the country are issued through Emergency Victoria's website and their VicEmergency phone app. Life Saving Victoria also tweets shark sightings.
If you are on the beach and a shark has been seen, the lifesavers will take down the yellow and red flags and put up a signboard. Sound alarms will be sounded from the lifesaving club or a rescue helicopter. Remember that lifesavers can't keep the sound alarms going for the entire duration of the shark warning. The board signs are also known to get knocked down by wind.
5. What are your rights when there's a warning?
The law affords great discretion to people when there's a shark warning. There is no state or federal legislation that forces people to comply with the orders of a lifeguard or a shark alarm, meaning you could legally refuse to leave the water.
If you need rescuing, rescuers are expected to do so if it is safe and it is your right to be treated in a public hospital. Councils have a responsibility to not be negligent and if something goes wrong on their watch, you may have a right to reclaim civil damages. However, if a shark alarm is raised, the council is not responsible for what people choose to do.
That being said, it probably wouldn't hurt to play a bit of cricket on the beach until the warning passes.
6. Can you be fined if you don't get out of the water?
Come on in: Some swimmers at St Kilda beach appeared unfazed by a shark sighting on January 8. Photo: Paul Jeffers
Only in exceptional circumstances can you be fined for refusing to leave the water when there is a shark warning.
Dr Michael Eburn of the ANU College of Law believes there are two possible situations where a statutory body such as a council or the police may issue a fine.
"The Local Government Act 1989 (Vic) section 111 allows local governments to make local laws. The issue of whether you can be fined for failing to leave the water, or for entering the water when a beach has been closed, will therefore depend on whether the local council has passed a local law," he explained.
Victoria has 79 local governments with their own sets of by-laws, so whether or not you can be fined at your local beach depends on what your council's laws are.
It is possible to be fined for failing to leave an "emergency" area by police. If a person is bitten by a shark, police may order people to leave the beach. That being said, Dr Eburn believes sounding a shark alarm is "unlikely to constitute an emergency" according to its legal definition.
In short, you're unlikely to get fined for staying in the water. However, you would be running the risk of getting some face-time with a hungry shark, so that's also a consideration.
7. What should you do if you're attacked by a shark? Does punching it in the nose work?
If sharks are lurking in the area, experts recommend flexing your nerves of steel and staying calm. Waving around, splashing around and panicking may disrupt the shark's initial response, re-routing them to see what the disturbance in the water is.
If you fall prey to an attacking shark, your best hope is to channel UFC star Conor McGregor and get ready for a fight. Punching the shark's nose, gouging the eyes or gills or kicking it will hopefully buy enough time to swim to shore and away from the danger. Lifesavers can offer basic first aid and order an ambulance.
MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman say punching a shark in the nose doesn't necessarily work but might buy you time.
The Mythbusters duo actually tested out punching sharks in the nose. They built a mechanical human torso, complete with a punching arm and stuck it out of a shark cage's bars to have a go at real sharks. Their verdict: punching a shark in the nose doesn't stop it but may confuse it enough to buy you some time to escape.
Experts believe going for the shark's gills or its eyes may be a better tactic for a number of reasons. One, a punch aimed at a shark's nose may easily land among its teeth. Two, the water offers resistance to underwater punches, dulling them out.
8. Where have sharks been sighted this summer?
Beachgoers at Elwood stick to the sand after a sighting at nearby St Kilda. Photo: Paul Jeffers
So where have sharks been sighted? In short, all over the place.
The Age has reported on shark sightings across the state, including Fairhaven, Jan Juc, Torquay, Eastern View, Point Roadknight, St. Kilda, Aireys Inlet, Big Hill, Lorne, Memorial Arch, Moggs Creek, Hut Gully, Thirteenth Beach, Anglesea, Patterson River, Collendina, Point Lonsdale, Point Addis and Chelsea Longbeach.
The Fairhaven region has been hit particularly by shark sightings. Before Christmas, the beach was closed after Life Saving Victoria helicopters spotted more than 30 sharks off the beach. More closures came in the first week of January after bronze whalers were seen in the water.
9. Are there more sightings or just better surveillance?
Surveillance technology has advanced in some states; New South Wales and Western Australia trialled drone surveillance for sharks last year. The drones scan the sea surface for sharks and report it to the lifesavers in real time in what may be a more efficient way of looking for sharks. Meanwhile, Life Saving Victoria uses a combination of patrol boats, rescue helicopters, and watchtowers to check the waters for sharks. On the whole, it is unclear if the number of sightings has increased or if authorities have improved at spotting them.
Everything considered, if you live in Victoria you don't really have to worry about sharks unless you are swimming alone or if you refuse to get out of water after a shark warning has been sounded.
Nine terrifying close encounters with sharks
Victoria is in the middle of a record-breaking season of sharks, with more sightings already than in the past three seasons combined. There have been more than 40 sharks already spotted near swimmers this summer, wreaking havoc on beaches and sending beachgoers paddling to shore.
There are many reasons for the spike in shark sightings. A perfect storm of weather and water conditions is bringing schooling baitfish closer to shore, which attracts sharks. Exacerbating the problem is record high sea-surface temperatures and a 19 per cent increase in rainfall in 2016, establishing ideal conditions for sharks and other marine life.
As more reports emerge of beaches across Australia closing due to shark sightings, here's eight close encounters that had us glad to be on dry land.
1 January 9 2017: A shark on the shore incites a frenzied text (St. Kilda Beach, Victoria)
When Sophie Hunt took her dogs for a walk on the foreshore of St. Kilda beach, no one could have predicted what she would stumble across. To her shock, the 20-year-old found a small blue shark thrashing in ankle-deep water at the busy Melbourne beach. Ms Hunt sent a frantic snap to friends before a nearby mate in the area helped her roll the animal back into the water.
Stunned Sophie Hunt called her friend to help her pull the shark back into the ocean.
2. January 6 2017: Great Whites shut beaches along the Great Ocean Road (Great Ocean Road) Beaches along the Great Ocean Road have been antagonised by closures onset by shark sightings throughout the summer. Beachgoers were left to sizzle on Christmas as sharks forced shut Fairhaven and Anglesea beaches while Boxing Day was plagued by similar issues. Despite multiple sharks being spotted in the first week in January, the Lorne Pub to Pier open water swim went off on Saturday, January 7 without a hitch.
3. September 18 2016: Surfer catches a lucky break (Thirteenth Beach) Surfer Rory Angiolella was waiting to catch a wave but instead caught the break of his life as he escaped from a rampaging shark at Thirteenth Beach, Victoria. Mr Angiolella was blasted in the chest and leg by a shark before retreating to safety on the sand. In the aftermath, the grateful Brunswick local bought a Tattslotto ticket and enjoyed some beers with friends. He did, however, plan to get back to surfing within weeks.
Rory Angiolella. Photo: Mathew Lynn
4. September 26 2016: Courageous Cooper survives a scare (Lighthouse Beach) For most 17-year-olds, the prospect of being out of bed at 9am on Monday sounds bad enough but Cooper Allen's experience takes the cake. The enthusiastic surfer was viciously mauled by a shark at Lighthouse Beach, leaving four deep lacerations in Mr Allen's right thigh. Despite sustaining heavy blood loss, the surfer was in high enough spirits to ask a friend not to tell his mother what had happened.
5. October 13 2016: Sydney surfer happy on dry land Seneca Rus brought Sharpes Beach in Ballina to a stand-still with a bloodcurdling scream when a shark bit into his leg. Mr Rus would later tell the media he had never been so happy to be back on dry land as friends rushed him to hospital, where he received five stitches. The attack was the final straw for New South Wales Premier Mike Baird who subsequently announced his government would a trial of controversial shark nets along the state's north coast, a backflip on his previous stance.
6. December 24, 2016: Shark chooses an unlikely spot while biting woman A woman snorkelling with her partner in Bundegi Sanctuary Zone in WA on Christmas eve got a gift she wasn't expecting: a small shark bit her bum. The poor woman was left to attend to her injuries while the shark swam away.
8. December 1, 2016: Veteran surfer's board ripped into half after shark attack Retired real estate agent Colin Rowland encountered a 3.5-metre white pointer shark while surfing at Seven Mile beach in NSW. The veteran surfer says the shark "chomped" at him while he kicked its head and managed to ram his surfboard in its mouth. The shark tore Mr Rowland's surfboard neatly into half. The 65-year-old was saved when a brave young surfer hauled Mr Rowland on to his own surfboard and raced to the shore, both inches away from their deaths or serious injury.
9. January 9, 2017: Fishing equipment saves diver's life in a terrifying shark attack When a bull shark raged towards a diver on the Great Barrier Reef, his quick thinking saved his life but may have left the shark injured. The diver broke off from his group to fish when he encountered the shark in water 50 metres deep. He stabbed the shark's mouth with his spear gun before swimming away to safety. The entire encounter, including the bright red spurt of blood from the shark's mouth, was captured on video and posted to Facebook.
Bull sharks are thought to be hungrier when the water temperature rises.
10. November 30, 2014: Bit by a shark, teenager cycles home, eats breakfast before going into surgery As teenager Cameron Pearman waited for a wave on his surfboard at Pyramid Beach near Perth, a shark grabbed his leg from behind. Lifesavers were able to haul him ashore and bandaged his punctured leg. Interestingly, the shark bite didn't stop the teenager from pedalling home and taking a brekky stop before his father drove him to the hospital where he had minor surgery.
