Shark attacks: How to avoid the ocean's top predator
Posted
Despite being "genetically programmed to fear things that come at us with teeth", an expert says swimmers and surfers can take several steps to reduce the likelihood of shark attacks and feel relaxed in the water.
And in the unlikely event of a close encounter with one of the ocean's toughest creatures, there are ways to increase your chances of survival.
Doctor Mark Meekan is a research scientist and fish biologist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Perth and says while the fear of sharks is "primal", it is important to remember the chances of being attacked are low.
Here are seven things you can do to lower your risk further and increase your chances of survival.
1. Avoid ocean at dawn, dusk
"Don't go into the water early, at dawn or dusk when there is low visibility and sharks might mistake you for prey," Dr Meekan said.
Sharks are often looking for prey at these times with great whites reported to be "more successful at hunting in low light".
2. Never swim alone
Swimming in a group makes you less likely to appear as prey to sharks.
Dr Meekan recommends swimming in patrolled areas, saying if there is an attack, it is important to be visible and be able to raise the alarm.
3. Heed warnings about sightings
Information on sharks sightings and warnings is readily available and is often the best measure of how safe a beach is, Dr Meekan says.
"Pay attention to warnings, either current or over the past few days, and know that if you enter the water anyway you do so at your own risk," he said.
4. Do not look like prey as attacks often 'mistaken identity'
Whales and seals have a layer of blubber which makes them good food for sharks, Dr Meekan said.
"We're like eating lettuce so we're actually not a good target as [shark] food," he said.
"More often than not [in an attack] it's a case of mistaken identity."
Dr Meekan said it was important to think about what a shark might be seeing.
"If you think about a surfer on a board as seen from underneath, among a seal colony, the silhouette below with arms over the board - it's not a good idea," he said.
5. Avoid 'murky waters', areas near prey
In areas where there is murky water, like in estuaries, there in an increased risk of bull sharks, Dr Meekan said.
He said to avoid areas where sharks might feed and warned surfers to not seek remote areas where there might be seal colonies nearby.
"There is also risk when you're spear fishing because of the increased amount of distress and blood in the water," Dr Meekan said.
Sharks that are big enough to pose a threat to humans generally stay in deeper waters off the coast so staying in relatively shallow water and close to the shore will also reduce risk.
6. Push away from shark, create window for rescue
Dr Meekan said if you did encounter a shark, the best thing to do was attract as much attention as possible.
"I'd be shouting [and] yelling to attract attention and getting out of the water as fast as I could," he said.
"The message is just get the hell out - push the shark off and get out.
"People say [punching sharks in] the nose and eye can work.
"They do have a lot of sensory systems around the head but they are very tough animals so whether or not that is likely to have an effect - the jury is still out.
"The white shark is an ambush predator so they will take a bite, retreat off and wait for the prey to die.
"So there is an opportunity in that window for people to be rescued."
7. Use shark repellents, deterrents
Research and development into shark repellents has progressed and a device that sends an electric signal is said to successfully deter the animals.
"A system called Shark Shield is being incorporated into surfboards and they'll be on the market very soon," Dr Meekan said.
"They send an electric signal to repel sharks and all the testing says it seems to work."
Dr Meekan said the key to reducing shark attacks was predicting shark behaviour.
"While we're programmed to fear sharks, we're also programmed to be fascinated by them," he said.
"We need to get over the fear and stroke the fascination to see what they're about and why they do it (attack), to avoid and prevent these situations.
"We need to build an effective defence and deterrent system to stop shark attacks."
Topics: shark, animal-attacks, human-interest, sport, surfing, australia, south-africa
