When most people think of sharks they think of the movie “Jaws.” But only a few weeks ago a swimmer was attacked by a shark 150 yards off the coast of California while swimming with a group of triathletes. The 22 inch bite struck an artery and the victim died on the scene. The last fatal shark report attack off the coast of San Diego was in 1994. Researchers believe that the shark thought the man was a seal, as seals swim together in herds. It is typical of great white sharks to attack seals from behind as they swim in herds. They suddenly will appear over the surface of the water behind their victim.

The human swimmer is thought to have been mistaken for a seal by the shark. There is a large population of seals just south of where the attack occurred. While it is true that great white sharks are known for being “man-eaters” it is rare that one would attack a human. But in this case, something very rare did happen.

Great white sharks can be anywhere from 20-40 feet in length. They can weigh over two tons. Great white sharks are very fast swimmers and they swim mostly in open water away from the shore.

Great white sharks prefer to eat, seals, dolphins, fish and sometimes even other sharks.

They have the ability to smell blood in the water, they are excellent hunters and they have a keen sense of hearing.

Great white sharks have a vast amount of razor sharp teeth. When a great white shark loses a tooth, another tooth moves up from behind to fill in the space.

Over the last 100 years, fewer than 100 people have been attacked by these beasts and of those attacked less than 30 died. Statistically your chance of being killed in a shark attack is about 1 in 280 million according to the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. Your chance of dying in a car accident is about 1 out of 6,700 according to the same research group. You are more likely to be struck by lightning.

Still after this recent attack the beaches in San Diego were closed to swimmers for three days. Of course die-hard surfers ignored the warning and enjoyed the surf anyway.

The areas where the great white shark lives are the oceans off the coasts of Australia, South Africa, the Mediterranean and the United States.

Some things that swimmers can do are:

1. If you have a cut stay out of the water as sharks are attracted to the smell of blood
2. Avoid wearing shiny clothing in the water as sharks can mistake them for fish scales. Also dark colors may make you look like a seal to a shark.
3. Swim in the daylight and not at night when sharks are most active. Although this particular shark attack happened around 9AM.

Sharks are less of a threat to humans, than humans are to sharks. Fishing, shipping and waste tossed into the oceans are causing distressing damage to the habitat of the shark and all marine life. Oil leaks and chemicals can be ingested in a shark’s body when it eats animals that have been poisoned.

Sharks are also facing a loss of habitat as the reefs of the world are slowly dying or being taken as souvenirs. Global warming is also another factor in preserving the shark species.

Warmer temperatures affect the coral reefs and may destroy them.

So in spite of this recent shark fatality, sharks do seem to have more to fear from living with humans, than humans have to fear from living with sharks.

Regardless of these comforting statistics, I think I am staying out of the ocean for a while.