Despite popular belief and what the movie Jaws might say, shark attacks are actually very rare, even among those who enjoy hanging around the deeper parts of the sea in their local beach.
This doesn’t stop people from being terrified by shark attacks though, and who can blame them? Water isn’t where humans are dominant, land is. We can learn to swim, but they’re not as good compared to the fish that are actually built for swimming. As a result, this makes us more vulnerable to attacks from animals in the deep, as we hope that they ignore us and swim away instead.
But we don’t want to stay tucked away in land forever. We still want to swim, surf, or dive, despite the risk of potential shark attacks. If that is the case, then the best course of action is knowing what to do when you are confronted by such a creature and reacting quickly before it can get to you.
There are scenarios where you may suddenly be bitten by a shark out of the blue with no chance to react, and without even realizing that there was a shark in the area in the first place!
However, you may also see a shark swimming in the area, giving you a chance to do something about it. If you find yourself in the latter situation, then here are the things that you should do when you run into a shark in the deep blue sea.
Stay calm and don’t panic
Sure, there may be a gigantic shark that might pounce at you at any moment but stay calm and don’t panic. Sharks are unlikely to approach you and will usually swim away.
Flailing or thrashing your body about wildly in an attempt to get away from the shark will instead have the opposite effect and make the shark think that you’re one of its prey, causing it to go on the offensive.
Besides, you’re not going to be outrunning a shark in a sprint, especially if you’re far away from shore or some kind of surface like a nearby boat. The shark is most definitely faster than you, considering that its body is built for swimming while yours isn’t.
Watch the shark’s movement
While determining the type of action that you should take, don’t ever take your eyes off the shark. It won’t stop the shark if it decides to attack, but at least you’ll know that it’s coming and will be able to react accordingly.
One of the worst things you can do in this situation is to lose sight of the creature, especially in such a large space like the ocean, unless it is swimming far away from you. When this happens, you have no idea when a shark will attack, and what direction it might attack from. For all you know, it may come from below you.
Defend yourself if you must
On some situations, a shark may actually go in for a bite. Sharks rarely go in for the kill instantly, and instead prefer to bite to sate their curiosity on what you are. Once they bite you, they are more than likely to swim away instead of biting again.
Of course, ideally, you won’t be getting bitten in the first place, so when a shark gets too close, this is when you’ll have to get down and dirty, perhaps even underwater.
You are unlikely to have any sort of weapon while you’re out at sea, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely helpless. You still have two very good hands attached to your body as a last-ditch resort for when things go sour.
Punch the shark. Punch it hard and do it again until it is discouraged to pursue you any further. The best places to target are its eyes, snout, and gills. This is because these parts of the shark are very sensitive and will disrupt its mode of attack. If the shark is biting you, it will most likely release you and swim away. But make sure that the shark is discouraged and not coming back for seconds, which is why you should unleash your full force at the shark.
Other than punching, you can use your knees, elbows, and even feet to hit the shark. Fight dirty and give it no quarter.
Another thing that is important to note: Be careful when punching a shark’s snout. You’d need to be confident in your aim, because it is quite close to the shark’s mouth. Of course, if the shark’s mouth is already biting you, this won’t be as much of a problem, but if the shark hasn’t struck yet, keep this in mind.
Swim to shore quickly but smoothly
Once you have successfully driven off the shark, get to land or even a boat as quickly as possible. While most sharks will have been successfully scared off, some of the more aggressive sharks will come back with a vengeance. To make matters worse, hitting them in their sensitive spots will be less effective than it was before, putting you in an even more precarious situation. Get out of there as soon as possible.
As before, try not to attract as much attention to yourself as possible. If near shore, swim quickly, but make sure you don’t thrash as much. The splashing will attract attention, and if the shark has bitten you, will cause your blood to spill out potentially attracting other sharks and weakening you even more.
On the other hand, if you’re near a boat, call out to it loudly but calmly and wait for the boat to approach you. In the meantime, keep an eye out on any sharks that may appear from the commotion or even the return of an angry shark that got its snout punched.