Most shark attacks are actually provoked by people: Shark expert Dr. Daly-Engel
Florida Tech Shark Conservation Lab director Toby Daly-Engel offers advice people can use to minimize shark encounters on 'Fox News Live.'
Shark attacks or bites don’t occur as often as people fear they do. The odds of being attacked and killed by a shark are extremely low, 1 in 3.7 million to be exact, according to PETA’s website.
While the likelihood of receiving a bite or being attacked by a shark is low, more than 50% of Americans fear both the fish and the situation, according to a 2015 study.
"People shouldn't fear sharks," said Rick Sorensen, boat captain and professional open water diver, "That's the wrong mindset."
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Sorensen grew up in Pompano Beach, Florida, and has been certified since 1976. He is an expert in a number of water activities, including blue-water, scuba and free diving, as well as spearfishing, snorkeling and surfing. Sorensen has had both exposure to sharks and different confrontations with them.
Coming in contact with a shark is a possibility if you're swimming in their home but the worst thing you can do in the situation is panic. (Rick Sorensen)
"You don’t need to be fearful of any sharks because that’s going to cause panic," he told Fox News Digital. "That's the only reason I say don't be fearful of sharks."
While Sorensen believes it's instinctual to be frightened by something that can eat you or bite you, he says being afraid and panicking will trigger a shark to become interested in you as prey, and it might not have been in the first place.
"I've had sharks try to take food from me," he said. "Sometimes, I'll just throw it to them."
Where and when are shark attacks most likely to occur?
Shark attacks are more prevalent in the Atlantic Ocean vs the Pacific, according to National Geographic.
In the U.S., attacks occur most often in Florida. Of the 47 total U.S. shark attacks in 2021, 28 of them happened in the Sunshine State, according to the World Animal Foundation. Hawaii, California, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Maryland have also been known for an occasional shark attack. The six states combined recorded 19 total shark attacks in 2021.
Internationally, you should be aware of sharks in Australia, Brazil and off the coast of South Africa in Gansbaai.
"Sharks attacks on surfers and swimmers are usually due to a mistaken identity," said Sorensen. "It happens more when a lot of fish are present and the water is murky."
Early mornings and late evenings are times to avoid being in the water, especially alone. These times of day are low light situations that create visibility problems for predators in the water.
"Which is why fishing is so good in the morning and fishing is so good in the evening," Sorensen said. "The outline of the bait isn’t as clear."
Clear water gives sharks plainly defined outlines of a human and people are not typically part of a shark’s eating patterns. Sorensen says humans don’t fit the profile of a shark’s regular diet. They typically eat fish, marine mammals, including seals, crustaceans and molluscs.
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"When you have an extreme situation, maybe in a place a shark is used to feeding, and it doesn't have a food source there anymore whether due to human interference," said Sorensen, "then the food situation for the predators is at a critical level and maybe the predator is going to try to expand its diet."
Sorensen, though a fearless professional diver with enough shark encounters for one lifetime, recommends swimming no farther than 10 yards out from the beach.
"Why would a person want to swim 100 yards from the beach? This blows my mind," he said. "That’s being ignorantly unaware."
While shark bites and attacks can occur just a few feet out from the beach, swimming much farther out puts you immeasurably more at risk of an attack. Swimming far into the deep waters also puts you at a greater distance to land in case of a sighting, bite or attack.
Provoked vs unprovoked shark attacks
Provoked shark attacks are when a human does something to interact with a shark and then receives a bite and injury, or dies. Unprovoked shark attacks are when a person does nothing to interact with a shark but receives a potentially fatal interaction anyway.
There are three types of shark attacks: hit-and-run, bump-and-bite and sneak attacks.
In a hit-and-run, sharks will inflict a single bite or slash, leave and not return. They often mistake humans for prey and once they realize the human is not the food they’re looking for, revert into the water, according to the Florida Museum.
"Sometimes shark attacks happen, and it’s a mistake," Sorensen said. "The profile of a surfer on a surfboard looks like a seal."
Bump-and-bite attacks occur when the shark warns the human prey by bumping into them before attacking. These attacks are often fatal.
Sneak attacks are when the shark charges without warning. In both occurrences, sharks are more likely to attack again vs. a hit-and-run attack.
If you intend on swimming with sharks, whether knowingly or unknowingly, you must be aware of your surroundings at all times. (Rick Sorensen)
How many shark attacks have there been in the U.S. over the years?
Below are unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S. since 2012, according to the Florida Museum.
- Shark attacks in 2022: 57
- Shark attacks in 2021: 47
- Shark attacks in 2020: 33
- Shark attacks in 2019: 64
- Shark attacks in 2018: 66
- Shark attacks in 2017: 53
- Shark attacks in 2016: 53
- Shark attacks in 2015: 98
- Shark attacks in 2014: 52
- Shark attacks in 2013: 47
- Shark attacks in 2012: 54
What should I do if I see a shark in the water?
If you encounter a shark nearby, or you’re in the water, and you spot one from afar, your first instinct might be, and truly probably will be, to panic. The 1975 horror film "Jaws" did viewers no favors in promoting the fear of sharks. While this is an instinctual notion experienced by millions, the absolute last thing you should do around a shark is panic.
"The worst thing you can do is frantically swim away in a panic," said Sorensen. "It's going to excite the fish more by swimming away quickly."
Swimming by kicking around your hands and feet, especially in blurry water, imitates the same movements of a fish. When you panic and swim faster, you appear as a distressed fish, which is considered an easy catch for sharks.
Sorensen recommends a few pivotal choices to elect vs swimming panic-struck in case you’re in a shark’s presence.
- Avoid swimming near bait in a big school of fish
- If it isn’t bothering you, do not bother it
- Slowly swim backwards and keep your eyes on the shark
- Or swim forward in a slow, calm manner using sidestroke or breaststroke but avoid over-the-surface strokes
- Ask yourself if your swim is creating the "strike pattern" a fish typically does and if so, change it
- If it comes at you, kick or punch it to impact the shark’s decision to attack
- Get back to your raft, board or float and separate yourself from the shark
- Put your feet up, wait and calmly revert to the beach when it’s clear
- Once you reach sand where you can walk, stand and walk backward onto the beach
Principally, education, awareness and common sense should get you through the events of a shark sighting or run-in. Be sensible of their environment and have knowledge of the behaviors of sharks before entering their homes – the water.
Sorensen used to go spearfishing and carry fish in bags. He realized the circumstances were attracting sharks to surround the area.
"I thought, ‘Wow, I’m creating a really stupid situation here. I should take these fish somewhere else,'" he told Fox News Digital.
What should I do if I get bit or attacked by a shark?
The size of a shark varies based on species. The larger the shark, the more harmful a bite or attack will be. Sharks can weigh upward of 5,000 pounds, so it's best to avoid a dust-up with the cartilaginous fish altogether.
If you encounter a shark face-to-face, punch it, kick it and use water sport objects, if present, to defend yourself against it. (Rick Sorensen)
"If you do have a shark on you, and it’s got ahold of your arm, you need to punch it, you need to kick it, and fight it," Sorensen said. "Just blunt force."
Sorensen recommends fighting the shark off with blows to the nose, the side of the head, or the eyes if possible. Use whatever strength you have or employ water sport objects like a surfboard or a water ski and make your way back to shore.
"What are you going to do? Are you going to give up or fight? It's a fight or flight situation," he said. "A person doesn't really know which they’re going to choose unless they’re in that situation."
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How can I identify dangerous sharks?
White sharks, tiger sharks and bull sharks are the "Big Three" you should be aware of. White sharks have historically had the greatest number of human bites.
White sharks are considered the most dangerous sharks and can grow up to 20 feet. Their dorsal fin is located at the top of the shark and would be visible if the shark were swimming close to the water’s edge. While you’re likely not going to slowly examine a shark if it approaches you to determine the type, often white sharks can be identified by the shape of their dorsal fin.
Tiger sharks are dark brown with white bellies, and have more flat, wide faces than pointy heads. While tiger sharks are named for their tiger stripes, they fade as they get older. They do, however, also have a dorsal fin that can be seen above the water if close enough to the surface.
"If a tiger shark bites a person, it doesn’t have any problem getting through the bones. It's designed to cut through bone," Sorensen said of the shark’s double-serrated teeth that are strong enough to gash through a turtle’s shell.
Bull sharks are a grayish brown with a light, white belly. Bull sharks are difficult to identify, according to National Geographic. They are identifiable by their stocky shape as they are shorter and wider than white sharks and tiger sharks.
People are not typically a shark's prey. If food sources are low for sharks, the fish are more inclined to eat humans as they're hungry. (Rick Sorensen)
Generally, you can determine whether a shark is dangerous in a moment by its demeanor and swim patterns.
"If they have very sharp swimming patterns left to right and its pectoral fins go down, it has an agitated swimming style," Sorensen said. A relaxed fish that's simply swimming is likely exploring. However, bear in mind that can change quickly with your demeanor.
What other sharks are typically spotted?
Nurse sharks are bottom-dwellers, yellowish-tan or dark brown, average 7.5-8 feet in length, and are not known to be aggressive. They’re considered "lazy" fish and feed on lobster, crab, clams and small fish. While there are nurse shark attacks on record, they aren’t common.
"I’ve been bitten by a nurse shark," said Sorensen. "It was my fault. I grabbed its tail and pulled him out from under a ledge. It was just a defensive bite."
He compared the bite to being pinched by another person and explained most people that get bit by nurse sharks provoked them by touching them.
Other types of sharks that can easily be identified but aren’t considered dangerous, unless provoked, include spinner sharks, reef sharks like blacktips and Caribbean sharks, and sharks that feed in the shallows. Caribbean reef sharks are the most commonly encountered type in the Caribbean Sea.
While it seems very rare to knowingly encounter a shark at all, you’ve probably been around more sharks in your lifetime than you think.
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"Most of the people who have swam at the beach have swam with sharks, they just don’t know it," said Sorensen.
