Simple but effective tips from ichthyologists and rescuers that can save your life when meeting a shark.
Recently, in Egyptian Hurghada, a man-eating shark tore to pieces a 23-year-old boy in front of his father in Egypt. In the midst of a tragedy in the midst of the summer holidays, it is important to remember that even medium-sized sharks can cause serious injury or death to a person. We tell you how to avoid a shark attack and what to do in case of an attack.
How to avoid a collision
Do not swim in muddy waters and do not go into the sea at night. Predators are most active at night, and low visibility is a good condition for a hunting shark. Remember that the shark’s blood is like bait. Do not enter the water if there is damage to the skin.
What to do if you spot a predator in the water?
If you notice a shark, you need to move smoothly, without making sudden movements, but move as quickly as possible towards the shore. Sharks don’t attack right away. Often they make several circles around their prey and only then begin to act.
- Keep your eyes on the shark. Sharks have several different attack methods. Sometimes they swim up and rush to attack, sometimes they circle for a while before throwing, and sometimes they sneak up from behind for a surprise attack.
- Keep your eye on the shark and keep it in sight even when you are trying to swim away. Don’t block the shark’s path. If you’re standing between a shark and the open ocean, move away. Do not turn your back on the shark while moving.
- If you still encounter a shark, you should freeze and not panic. Otherwise, she will pursue and will surely catch up. Therefore, it is important to remain sane so that you can soberly assess the situation and understand how to get to a safe place.
- Take a defensive position. If you can’t get out of the water right away, try to reduce the shark’s possible angles of attack. If you are in shallow water, keep your feet on the ground.
- Move back slowly towards a reef, pile, rock ledge, or any hard obstacle so the shark can’t circle around you. If you are diving near the shore, you may need to go down to find cover. Find a reef or rock at the bottom of the ocean. In open water, stand back to back with another swimmer or diver so you can see and defend against attack from any direction.
- Move slowly towards the shore or boat.
Shark attacked you
If the shark has already attacked, you should try to hit it with your hands, feet or some object so that it sees you as a real threat. If you have a gun or a pole, use it! A sharp object is a good way to cause enough pain to scare the shark away. It is better to hit in the face, mark in the nose, gills and eyes of a predator are the only weak spots in a shark.
If you don’t have a weapon, improvise. Use any inanimate object like a camera or rock to drive the shark away.
If there is nothing around, use your own body. Aim for the eyes, gills, or snout of the shark. Fight with fists, elbows, knees and feet. Continue until the shark releases you and swims away.
Remember that sharks have surprisingly rough and sharp skin, unlike the smooth scales of other fish, so keep that in mind.
How to call for help?
If you can fight off the shark, swim out of the water. Even if the shark swims away, you are not safe. Sharks can swim away for a while and then come back and continue their attack. Get back to shore or to the boat as quickly as possible.
If there is a boat nearby, call it calmly but loudly so that it comes towards you. Remain still while waiting. Get on the boat as soon as it gets to you.
If you are near the shore, swim quickly but smoothly. Sudden movements can draw the shark’s attention or disperse your blood into the water. Do a smooth reverse breaststroke that requires less spatter than other strokes.