It is a fact of life that nobody has ever been taken by a shark when they were swimming between the flags on a beach patrolled by Surf Lifesavers ! The most likely people to suffer a shark attack are those sitting on a surf board waiting for a wave or swimming alone off a beach early in the morning or just before dark - on a cloudy day.
The number of shark attacks in Australian waters has been increasing in recent times and the reason this is happening is not clear. Sharks follow schools of bait fish closer inshore and certainly surfing is a sport attracting more people and crowded venues results in more diverse surfing spots becoming popular. There are now more people on surfboards dotted along a greater length of our coastline.
Sharks are a natural predator at the top of the food chain - and seals are high on their diets. A surfer in a wet suit must have an uncanny resemblance to a seal for a hungry shark looking for breakfast. Perhaps curiosity is another attraction. Humans way out to sea with their legs dangling below a flotation device would seem similar to the baited method we use when we go fishing !
There are calls for an increase in the use of shark nets off our beaches. They have been in use for years and some people think they are very effective, but while they do enmesh and kill sharks they also snare dolphins and other harmless sea creatures - and occasionally get tangled with migrating whales. There is no clear evidence that they save lives.
Surveillance seems our best protection. Lifesavers watching over swimmers are quick to spot the approach of a shark and clear the water, and air patrols by fixed wing aircraft or helicopters provide cover at popular beaches, but there is no absolute guarantee of safety. We take a chance whenever we go in the water because we are invading the domain of the big fish and their water skills are far superior to us humans.
Now it is proposed that we deploy "air curtains " to deter sharks. There is a theory that rising air bubbles make sharks disinclined to swim through such a barrier, but once again the unanswered question is where to locate them to do the most good. In recent times, the shark problem has not been around highly populated city beaches and most attacks have been at wide locations favoured by surfers and a few local swimmers. It would not be possible to protect the entire coastline.
The defence industry has done research on shark repellents to protect shipwrecked sailors and downed air crews and some of these are more effective than others, but it is hard to imagine surfers and swimmers strapping on some sort of chemical release pack whenever they go into the water. That would probably get the same sort of treatment that portable location distress devices have with hikers. Even when they are available free of charge, people head off into the bush and spark high cost searches because they disregard their own personal safety.
It seems that shark risk is concentrated on the surfing fraternity. To catch a wave they need to go where the danger from sharks is the greatest and so it becomes a personal decision. It is noticeable that those who survive a shark attack are usually quick to return to the water, hence this is a risk they willingly take - and no guaranteed form of protection is presently available.
When all is said and done, the odds of dieing in a shark attack are remote and probably equate with getting struck by lightning. The chances contract to near zero for those prepared to swim between the flags at a beach patrolled by lifesavers, and for others the risk can be countered by a few simple precautions. Never swim near the entrance to a river or creek and avoid the water early in the morning or in the evening - or when there is cloud cover - and more importantly - do not swim alone.
Protection is available along a wide swathe of the Australian coastline with fenced off areas to protect from sharks and there are many rock pools.
And there is that other option - of investing in a home swimming pool !
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