How to avoid a shark attack (and what to do if one bites)

A DOZEN people were killed by sharks worldwide in 2011, double the number in 2010 and the highest since 1993. According to a global report released yesterday by the Florida Museum of Natural History's ichthyology department, there were 75 recorded shark attacks last year.   Why have shark deaths hit a high? The spike is a statistical anomaly, say Florida scientists. In the US, 29 people were attacked by sharks but none of them died. But beyond the US, one in four victims died from their wounds. The increase in shark attacks in non-US waters such as Costa Rica, Seychelles and South Africa, where safety and emergency medical facilities are likely to be less developed, may have led to an unusually high proportion of deaths.   How can you prevent a shark attack? George Burgess, director of the Florida museum's international shark attack file, quoted in The Daily Telegraph, says humans are not part of a shark's preferred diet but a human in a wetsuit splashing around on the water's surface could be mistaken for a seal. If you swim under the surface there is less chance of being mistaken for dinner as the shark will see you more clearly. Researchers also offer the following advice:

What should you do if you are attacked by a shark? While divers are advised to stay calm and still if they spot a shark, 'playing dead' is no longer recommended once it has gone in for the bite. A shark's warning signs that it is about to attack include hunching its back, lowering its pectoral fins and swimming in a zigzag path.   The best course of action is apparently to bop the shark on its nose with an inanimate object. This can temporarily curtail its attack. But if you find yourself in its jaws, go for the sensitive areas: claw at its eyes and gills. Once its teeth have bitten through skin though, it is advised to make a swift an exit as possible as the first taste of blood will only leave a shark wanting more. · 

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