Shark Attacks and Swimming Pigs

[Rianne]

Are you afraid to swim in the ocean? I am.


Lately,DH/me are obsessing over Shark Week on NatGeo Wild. After watching several episodes I decided to investigate shark attacks all around the world. One such place is the Bahamas where 3 unprovoked attacks occurred in less than 3 weeks. NatGeo blamed the attacks on the swimming pigs. Something about the way they swim attracts sharks. The articles I posted below don't mention this, but the episode on NatGeo did.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/swimming-pigs-bahamas/index.html

I then started to investigate further and found shark attacks are a problem/concern (?) for ocean swimmers. We visit Florida every year. This fact has me concerned. And one I was not aware of.

"For decades, Florida has topped global charts in the number of shark attacks, and this trend continued in 2019. Florida’s 21 cases represent 51% of the U.S. total and 33% of unprovoked attacks worldwide. However, the state saw a significant drop from its most recent five-year annual average of 32 incidents."

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/

I'll stick to the pool for swimming and walk on the beach for exercise. But swim in the ocean...don't think so.

 

[Koolau]

My first visit to the Islands (HI) was shortly after watching Jaws! It took some courage to go into the water. IIRC HI is the 2nd most "attacked" state. I guess that makes some sense because HI is totally surrounded by ocean, it's "warm" year round, it has hundreds of beaches, HI has a tourist economy. The one thing suggesting an anomaly is our very low population (1.4 million.)

Honestly, I no longer have interest in swimming in the ocean (or pools). I DO love ocean views and beaches. So shark dangers don't affect me except for the occasional report of shark sightings on the news.

Heh, heh, I noticed that none of the states I used to call home (in the Midwest) had any shark attacks listed. YMMV

 

[2017ish]

Sharks are beautiful, shy animals. IF you calculate exposure risk, it isn't that bad. How many people go into the ocean in Florida? 21 attacks is nothing.

As for the Bahamas, the incidents in the past few years have too often been near locations used for chumming/feeding of sharks for unnatural shark dive encounters. Even if not at the same time, the animals get used to being fed by humans....

(We have planned a few vacations around getting close to sharks when diving or snorkeling in non-artificial feeding encounters.)

 

[travelover]

Compared to bees, shark fatalities hardly register. Relax.

 

[Sunset]

Compared to bees, shark fatalities hardly register. Relax.

Yes, but there is satisfaction knowing the bee is dead meat after stinging you.
A shark gets away with a piece of meat

After watching Jaws when it came out, I was even nervous of swimming in fresh water lakes out deep where the water is dark...

 

[RobbieB]

I'll stop swimming in the ocean after I get hit by lightning.

 

[Nemo2]

Recall, late 1962, three of us camping* on the beach near Cairns, Queensland, nobody else around for miles. (*"Camping"...well we threw a tarp on the sand and slept on it.)

Swimming....you'd see a fin and know that if it was a shark you'd never make the shore....then it'd start that sorta undulating motion that dolphins have, then you'd see a few more and go "Phew".

Tried swimming out to them a few times...futile...they must've been traveling twenty times faster than I could swim, and they didn't want visitors anyway.

Also recall being on St. Kilda beach in Melbourne a couple years later....kinda like a human Road Runner cartoon......there'd be a whole bunch of people in the water, the Shark Bell would ring, and instantaneously..."Zipppp".. everyone would be standing on the shoreline looking out to sea.

 

[GravitySucks]

Mosquitoes.
Nature's Deadliest.
I do not worry about sharks. Right now I'm missing the ocean and pkaying in the waves.

 

[candrew]

Sharks are beautiful, shy animals. IF you calculate exposure risk, it isn't that bad. How many people go into the ocean in Florida? 21 attacks is nothing.

As for the Bahamas, the incidents in the past few years have too often been near locations used for chumming/feeding of sharks for unnatural shark dive encounters. Even if not at the same time, the animals get used to being fed by humans....

(We have planned a few vacations around getting close to sharks when diving or snorkeling in non-artificial feeding encounters.)

Your post reminds me of an experience DW & I had on a dive trip in Belize about 10 years ago. We were diving the Blue Hole and had begun to slowly ascend. As we neared our safety stop there were several large bull sharks circling above. During our dive, a snorkel boat had moved in to the area and was chumming the water to bring in smaller fish, against the protests of our boat's captain and mates!

That was the longest 2 minute safety stop ever! As we surfaced, the deck hands on our boat were pulling us out as fast as they could!

 

[OldShooter]

... We visit Florida every year. ... 2019. Florida’s 21 [shark attack deaths] ... I'll stick to the pool for swimming and walk on the beach for exercise. But swim in the ocean...don't think so.

I'd suggest walking to the pool. Florida averages about 3,000 traffic deaths a year, about 150x the shark deaths. You don't want to be on roads there.

 

[Closet_Gamer]

A few years ago my teenage kids and I were in the ocean.

DD1 says "Look, a dolphin." It was about 20 yards away.
DD2 says "That fin is pointy"
I say ... "And the top of the dolphin was brown."

Not being aware of any brown dolphins, we got outta dodge!

My guess is that it was a sand bar shark.

 

[Rianne]

I'd suggest walking to the pool. Florida averages about 3,000 traffic deaths a year, about 150x the shark deaths. You don't want to be on roads there.

So true, but there's something about teeth that scare me. I get car accidents are horrific. It's a psychological thing. Not saying a bite is worse than going through a windshield. I just can't swim as fast as I can put on the brakes.

 

[jimbee]

Assessment of risk by humans tends to be problematic.

 

[audreyh1]

I grew up in tropical South Pacific. Warm waters - never heard of one. We spent a lot of time snorkeling in the reef lagoons. Most sharks were harmless, but people were still careful - don’t splash around or have blood in the water, etc. Shark bite attacks were about one every few years - not common.

I’m more afraid of jellyfish and stingrays on the Texas coast, and don’t generally swim there. I’m fine snorkeling in shallower waters in Hawaii and enjoy swimming in the clearer ocean waters there.

 

[Dtail]

Was scared after seeing Jaws, but then got over it.
Not as interested now in body surfing, so not really very interested in hanging in the ocean.
IIRC, the Voluscia County area on the east coast of Florida has more shark attacks than any other coastline in FLA.

 

[skipro33]

I kayak fish a lot on the ocean off the Northern California coast. It's a whole different feeling to enter the food chain and not be the apex predator.

 

[RobbieB]

I look at it this way. I've eaten many different types of seafood in my 65 years, sharks included.

I won't feel bad at all if one of them eats me. Hey, only fair eh?

 

[REWahoo]

I won't feel bad at all if one of them eats me.

Unless you lose consciousness prior to the first big chomp, you're fooling yourself.

 

[aja8888]

Unless you lose consciousness prior to the first big chomp, you're fooling yourself.

Maybe he will get lucky and the first bite will be a head shot.

 

[RobbieB]

I don't mind a little pain, I'm sure those fishes I ate felt some too.

 

[bolt]

I don't mind a little pain, I'm sure those fishes I ate felt some too.

Good one!

Yes,unless i'm mistaken factual odds dictate FL waters carry little downside risk.
I utilize MA waters multiple days a week from May-Nov.
Good luck & Best wishes!

 

[rodi]

The beach I swim out has a bunch of leopard sharks. It's pretty awesome to see one under water when you are duck-diving under a wave.

Of course leopard sharks have jaws too small to bite a human and are only a few feet long. But they are still cool.

There have been occasional great white and hammerhead sharks off the coast - but not enough to keep me out of the water.

Same beach, a few years ago, a kayak fisherman decided it was ok to leave his caught fish chumming the water and he attracted a hammerhead shark - then drew him back to the beach when he was paddling in. There are words for people like him. Lifeguards kicked everyone out of the water... we ended up going home. Do not want to swim with a hammerhead. He did manage to get some video in his stupidity.

 

[Badger]

I live about 150 yds to the ocean and have seen sharks washed up on the beach, swimming in the surf, people bit by sharks, and a world class record hammerhead (14'4" and 703 lbs) pulled out of the water. Every so often you will see an article in the local newspaper about another shark biting a surfer. I also spent a few years as a lifeguard at the beach in the late 60s. I haven't been swimming in the ocean since then. I don't see a need to "poke the bear" and I am content with walking the beach and cooling my feet in ankle deep water.


Cheers!

 

[Nemo2]

1983....walking along the beach in Durban.....fishermen cutting open a large shark on the sand.....full of 'sharkettes'.

Heard that Durban had installed nets to keep sharks out....problem was, rumor went, small ones got in, grew, and couldn't get back out. No idea as to the veracity of that story.

 

[eytonxav]

Sharks go where there is a food supply, especially seals, so attacks are more common in those areas.