{"id":245,"date":"2022-02-17T13:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=297"},"modified":"2022-02-17T13:29:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T12:29:11","slug":"expert-guide-on-how-to-avoid-a-shark-attack","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/expert-guide-on-how-to-avoid-a-shark-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert guide on how to avoid a shark attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Paul McGuinness\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 17 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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With the tragic death on this year of a British man in waters off Sydney, Australia, making headlines around the world<\/a>, the focus once again is on whether these majestic animals are a threat to us.<\/p>\n

Shark attacks on humans are extremely rare. This recent incident is Sydney\u2019s first fatal shark attack in almost 60 years. But, in the unlikely event that you should unexpectedly find yourself sharing the water with a shark, we asked zoologist, broadcaster, writer and BBC Wildlife<\/em> columnist Mark Carwardine<\/a> what you should do.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, I\u2019ve spent an inordinate amount of time diving and snorkelling with sharks. But I\u2019ve never been bitten. The likelihood of being harmed by one of the most feared animals on the planet is very small indeed.<\/div>\n\n
\u201cMillions of people paddle, swim, snorkel, dive and surf in the sea every day but, in a typical year, fewer than 100 are bumped, nipped or bitten by sharks. In contrast, 100 to 150 million sharks are killed each year by people.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt is thought that three species account for more than half of all attacks: the great white, tiger and bull sharks. The vast majority of species have never been implicated in any attack. While a few large sharks will eat people given the chance, and many species bite in self-defence, most attacks are cases of mistaken identity. The shark bites once, typically in poor visibility, realises its error and swims away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""A\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A great white shark swimming. \u00a9 Ken Kiefer<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption> Ken Kiefer 2<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

How to avoid a shark attack<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
  1. Don\u2019t wear shiny jewellery or high-contrast or bright colours (yellow, rightly or wrongly, has been dubbed \u2018yum-yum yellow\u2019 by shark scientists).<\/li>\n
  2. Stay out of the water if bleeding or menstruating.<\/li>\n
  3. Snorkel or dive in groups\u00a0\u2013 a shark is more likely to attack a solitary individual.<\/li>\n
  4. Keep out of the water during darkness or twilight, when many sharks are more active. Avoid murky water. Sharks can struggle to distinguish between human limbs and natural prey.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t visit New Smyrna Beach, Florida, which has more attacks than anywhere else in the world.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

    Learn more about sharks:\u00a0<\/h4>\n