Sharks: Should You Be Scared?

Two words: Heck. No.

Sharks, though toothy, fearsome predators to almost all sea creatures (except orcas!) pose next to no threat to divers and snorkelers alike. “But what about all those attacks I hear about each year?!” one might say. And that raises a great point. Sharks should be respected, but not feared. Almost all recorded attacks in history can be chalked up to a variety of logical circumstances, most of them almost completely avoidable. Experts agree that in the grand majority of cases shark attacks are caused by one of three things: curiosity, confusion, and/or fear.

Sharks don’t have hands, and therefore don’t have the luxury of reaching out and touching us to see if we’re food. Instead, they can do “test bites” to check our eligibility. Fortunately, the majority of shark bites worldwide are not fatal, and are merely a case of checking for a meal. The confusion reason stems from an inability to determine whether we’re food, and is usually a case of mistaken identity. A surfer, snorkeler, or casual swimmer from below may seem like struggling prey. Finally, it may sound paradoxical, but sometimes sharks can attack if they feel threatened. We’ve all heard sharks are the “apex predators” of the oceans; top of the food chain, right? Not all of them. Several hundred species are no longer than 3 feet, and if provoked (either purposely or not) they may strike back defensively.

In short, sharks are meant to be respected and admired, not feared.