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How to Survive a Shark Attack
from: Maxx Adventure TravelThis is the story you've heard from the movie Jaws. In 1945, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in the Pacific. About 1,000 men survived the sinking but when rescuers finally arrived after several days, there were only 317 left. Most of those who died from tiger shark attacks.
Sharks are from hundreds of species out of which only 20 or so are known to attack man. Some of the most notorious are the great white, bull, blue, hammerhead, tiger, mako and even the nurse shark.
When a shark happens there's rarely any warning and they don't have any particular pattern, which makes them very unpredictable creatures of prey. They're also highly complex.
The thing to note about a shark is they don't take nips, they take huge bites that tear the skin and take a limb or a big chunk of flesh. Victims don't die quickly, but slowly bleed to death.
If you're ever caught in an area of open water with a shark, you should just assume the worst and don't take chances. Ever! Get out of the water as fast as you can. Get on your boat or head for shore.
One way to protect yourself is to swim with a group which allows for more eyes to watch and if a shark comes, the group can work together to either fight it off or frighten it away. A group can scare off a shark better than a single individual.
While in the ocean, follow the same rules as you would in a pool. Don't urinate, however, if you must, urinate only in small amounts and let it mix with the water in between. And try to avoid vomitting as well.
If a shark starts swimming towards you, create noise by yelling and splashing the water. Repeatedly yelling and slapping underwater can also help, but make sure you use your energy efficiently because you might have to fight off the shark if it decides to ignore your warnings.
When a shark begins attacking, don't panic, but strike back. If you can, kick or punch its eyes or gills since these are the areas that can hurt it most. Hitting it on the nose can also help, but you might miss and hit its teeth instead.
If the shark has already attacked, you must immediately try to control or stop the bleeding. Blood in the water attracts more sharks and provokes aggression. If you're in a group, circle the victim while attempting to stop the flow of blood. If you're on a raft or boat, fight off the shark with everything you have until it swims away.
During such terrifying situation, the one thing that could save you is to use common sense and assume the worst when in the water. If you survive an attack, you can live and swim with sharks another day.
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