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Sharks

Bit sensationalist, but relevant I guess.

Shark attack explosion as 800 people mauled in just nine years as swimmers ignore bloodbath warning signs

THE number of shark attacks has exploded across the globe as swimmers continue to ignore bloodbath warning signs - seeing nearly 800 people mauled in just nine years.

America has overtaken Australia for the number of attacks with Cape Cod, Massachusetts, now considered the shark capital of the world.

It seems graphic warning signs do little to influence beachgoers and swimmers
It seems graphic warning signs do little to influence beachgoers and swimmersCredit: Getty - Contributor

Experts report seeing 50 in the popular holiday haven alone this summer.

However, despite a spike in maulings by the ferocious beasts and signs warning of attacks on beaches in the US and Australia, swimmers are still putting themselves at risk.

This year has seen 49 shark attacks - six being fatal - across the globe, as the underwater predators continue to get closer to humans.

The US recorded the largest number of shark bites, reporting 33 incidents, while Australia recorded 18.

A whopping 791 shark attacks have been reported between 2010 and 2019, according to data published by the International Shark Attack File, with an annual global average of 80 bites.

It shows an incredible rise compared to data from 1970 to 1979, when just 157 attacks were reported.

Surfers and water sports lovers seem to be the prime targets, accounting for 61 per cent of victims last year.

Great whites have taken a chunk out of five swimmers since 2012 in Cape Cod, including one fatality.

The area is just a few miles north of Martha's Vineyard - where Amity Bay, the fictional island in the Jaws films, was located.



It seems life is imitating art, as the species, which can grow up to 18ft long, continue to frequent the waters due to the increased activity amongst the shores.

Experts believe the high density of gray seals - which have repopulated thanks to a US hunting ban - coupled with the busyness brought by beachgoers, creates a perfect storm for a sharks to strike.

In 2018, over 150 great white sharks were seen swimming in the region, which experts claimed could be due to climate change and the warming of the Cape's waters sooner than usual.

Just two years later, two of the huge sharks were again spotted near swimmers off the coast, just days after a woman was killed by a great white while swimming just yards off of Maine's Bailey Island.

It seems the predators are now favouring the shores of America's most popular beaches, which are typically packed out with tourists, prompting an increase in attacks.

Cape Cod, as well as Cape Town in South Africa, are "the only two places in the world where you have a high density of people, seals, and great white sharks" in the waters, shark social scientist Christopher Pepin-Neff told National Geographic.

Scientists have suggested shifting hunting grounds, the weather, an increase in staycations, overfishing and even "chance" may have played a part in the rise, after numbers quietly dwindled last year due to the pandemic.

Despite the evident development of human knowledge and understanding of sharks, warning signs do little to discourage swimmers to take care.

Beach signs cautioning people of the dangers were found to be largely ineffective in a 2013 research study that looked at four Australian beaches.

Shockingly, 55 per cent of beach visitors did not even notice them. "There’s so much stimuli (at the beach) you might never notice the signs,” Pepin-Neff added.

Authorities found that "people can become complacent" and "careless", although they are encouraged to assume sharks are always present.

Australia is working to reinvent the fear surrounding shark attacks by instead referring to them as "incidents" or "interactions" - despite there being eight deadly attacks in 2020.

In May this year, an Aussie surfer in New South Wales was tragically mauled to death by a 14ft great white - after he heroically tried to alert others to the danger before he was attacked.

Signs have proved a redundant warning on South African beaches too - as their coloured flag system is disregarded by most swimmers.

The Shark Spotter program shows a red flag when there is a likelihood of sharks in the waters and a white one when a great white has been confirmed to be swimming in the area.

But swimmers, surfers, and paddlers didn’t exit the water until after Shark Spotters flew a white flag, sounded the alarm, and actively cleared the swimming area, a 2017 study found.

People did not exit the water when the red flag was displayed - suggesting to Sarah Waries, CEO of Shark Spotters in Cape Town, that: "We're providing the information and people aren’t absorbing it."

The differing systems used by countries around the world also prove problematic for tourists unfamiliar with the procedure.

The shark attack epidemic is feared to be exacerbated as holidaymakers flock to beaches desperate for sunshine after a year indoors due to the pandemic.
 
When Euphemisms (but Never Sharks) Attack

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Shark scientists have been exhorting the public to call human-shark interactions something other than shark attacks, preferring less pejorative terms like “shark encounters.” The scientists emphasize that humans tend to be to blame for shark injuries — stepping accidentally on small sharks, which snap back; swimming in murky water, venturing too close.

“A ‘shark attack’ is a story of intent,” Christopher Pepin-Neff of the University of Sydney, told the Times reporter Alan Yuhas. “But sharks don’t know what people are. They don’t know when you’re in the boat. They don’t know what a propeller is. It’s not an attack.”

But the terms being offered as replacements, while more accurate and less inflammatory, have a ring of gentility to them, evoking the top hats and evening gloves of centuries past.

To wit, a shark incident:

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A shark reaction:

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A shark bite:

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Meanwhile, scientists elsewhere this week published one of the most detailed views yet of shark guts, using a CT scanner to reveal “the complex inner geographies of more than 20 species of sharks,” Veronique Greenwood writes. The results, in stunning 3-D video, indicate that the spiraling intestine of some sharks behaves like a Tesla valve, drawing fluid forward without moving parts.

The study also appears to confirm the long-held notion that such intricacy helps to slow down digestion and extract the most calories from its prey. Chew on that while you do your part to avoid shark, uh, euphemisms.
 
60 fatal attacks over 10 years? Huh, amateurs.

You should be worrying about dogs, 25,000 people a year die as a result of attacks by rabid dogs. As for dogs, excluding rabies, in the US there are around 4.5 million dog attacks a year and 30 deaths.

In Australia dogs are the third biggest killer behind horses and cows.

DS
 
6 deaths per year for a decade. Even Dr Evil realised the sharks need more firepower if they are to justify the constant bedwetting of the anti-shark crew

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Varanus Island shark attack victim has ‘significant’ injuries but in ‘good spirits’ in Royal Perth Hospital

A man who was attacked by a lemon shark while on a fishing charter off a remote Pilbara island arrived at a Perth hospital in “good spirits” last night.

A Royal Perth Hospital spokeswoman said this morning that the Perth man was recovering well after arriving by ambulance about 9.30pm.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service flew the man, aged in his 30s, from Exmouth to Jandakot Airport after he spent more than 10 hours aboard a charter boat following the attack near Varanus Island about 8.30pm Tuesday.

A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said the victim had significant injuries to his lower body, including “a few bites”, but that they were not life-threatening.

He is in a serious but stable condition.

The man reportedly arrived at hospital in good spirits, describing the shark as “a big one” and estimating its length at more than 3m.

Lemon sharks typically live in waters less than 92m deep and can grow up to almost 4m long.

After the attack on Tuesday night, the man was given first aid on the charter vessel.

It took several hours to get back to the mainland.

Paramedics met the man onshore, who took him to Exmouth Hospital before putting him on a fight to Jandakot.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development fisheries officers are investigating the incident, which was only reported at 10.30am yesterday and happened about 120km west of Karratha.

Earlier in the day, a shark advice alert was issued on SharkSmart after a sighting in the area.

- - - - -

Shark Series – The Lemon Shark

Here’s all you need to know about the Lemon Shark

It’s closely related to the great white shark.

Lemon sharks are sturdy, powerful and can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet).

But relax. Don’t panic when you see one of these sleek creatures during your dive.

Lemon sharks do not attack humans.

- - - - -

The above is an example of irresponsible dissemination of information in the name of protecting sharks. Lemon sharks can and have attacked people previously. All large carcharhinids possess the dentition to bring you to grief and should never be underestimated.

ZXwJ2YN.jpg
 
Varanus Island shark attack victim has ‘significant’ injuries but in ‘good spirits’ in Royal Perth Hospital

A man who was attacked by a lemon shark while on a fishing charter off a remote Pilbara island arrived at a Perth hospital in “good spirits” last night.

A Royal Perth Hospital spokeswoman said this morning that the Perth man was recovering well after arriving by ambulance about 9.30pm.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service flew the man, aged in his 30s, from Exmouth to Jandakot Airport after he spent more than 10 hours aboard a charter boat following the attack near Varanus Island about 8.30pm Tuesday.

A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said the victim had significant injuries to his lower body, including “a few bites”, but that they were not life-threatening.

He is in a serious but stable condition.

The man reportedly arrived at hospital in good spirits, describing the shark as “a big one” and estimating its length at more than 3m.

Lemon sharks typically live in waters less than 92m deep and can grow up to almost 4m long.

After the attack on Tuesday night, the man was given first aid on the charter vessel.

It took several hours to get back to the mainland.

Paramedics met the man onshore, who took him to Exmouth Hospital before putting him on a fight to Jandakot.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development fisheries officers are investigating the incident, which was only reported at 10.30am yesterday and happened about 120km west of Karratha.

Earlier in the day, a shark advice alert was issued on SharkSmart after a sighting in the area.

- - - - -

Shark Series – The Lemon Shark

Here’s all you need to know about the Lemon Shark

It’s closely related to the great white shark.

Lemon sharks are sturdy, powerful and can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet).

But relax. Don’t panic when you see one of these sleek creatures during your dive.

Lemon sharks do not attack humans.

- - - - -

The above is an example of irresponsible dissemination of information in the name of protecting sharks. Lemon sharks can and have attacked people previously. All large carcharhinids possess the dentition to bring you to grief and should never be underestimated.

ZXwJ2YN.jpg
A lot of unhappy people.........the shark bite victim attacked the shark.
The ****wit jumped on the sharks back, ruining the charter that they had paid thousands of dollars for.
Should make the **** pay for the cost of the Royal Flying Doctor.
 
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A lot of unhappy people.........the shark bite victim attacked the shark.
The ****wit jumped on the sharks back, ruining the charter that they had paid thousands of dollars for.
Should make the **** pay for the cost of the Royal Flying Doctor.
OMG. Apologies to the shark. What a half.wit (why is this word censored?).

He was actually in charge of the charter. It was very subtly hinted at in the initial reports which said few charters are prepared to venture that far out.
 
A lot of unhappy people.........the shark bite victim attacked the shark.
The ****wit jumped on the sharks back, ruining the charter that they had paid thousands of dollars for.
Should make the **** pay for the cost of the Royal Flying Doctor.
Good enough for Aquaman
 
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A lot of unhappy people.........the shark bite victim attacked the shark.
The ****wit jumped on the sharks back, ruining the charter that they had paid thousands of dollars for.
Should make the **** pay for the cost of the Royal Flying Doctor.
So the shark was attacked?
 
Surfer dies after shark attack at Emerald Beach near Coffs Harbour

Male surfer in his 20's dies on Emerald Beach north of Coffs Harbour this morning after the Westpac Rescue Helicopter winched paramedics onto the beach in an attempt to save his life.

“I was out in the surf and I heard screaming, I paddled further out to the water and saw a man without an arm, there was lots of blood. He was shouting ‘help me’ - people were trying to get him out to the shore. I saw paramedics performing CPR on him for about an hour and a half trying to save them.”

- witness
 
Search for missing Cairns spear fisher called off, police not ruling out shark attack

Police will carefully examine the clothing and dive gear of a 26-year-old spear fisher who disappeared at Sudbury Reef on Saturday, to determine what happened to him.

A search for Torrance Sambo was officially called off yesterday afternoon in a joint decision police said was made with the state’s search and rescue coordinator, medical experts and his family.

It followed confirmation that flippers, a mask, a spear gun and several items of clothing found on the ocean floor belonged to Mr Sambo.

Some members of Mr Sambo's family are continuing to search waters and coastlines.

Police aren’t ruling out a shark attack.

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On a somewhat related note, a look at the Global Shark Attack File records worldwide since 2010 showed that Saturday was clearly the worst day for fatal encounters, with Sundays and Mondays coming in at roughly half the frequency. Other days were fairly similar except for Fridays, which for some reason only had 5 or 6 deaths.
 
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