Experts advise hitting, hitting back

With new reports of shark bites coming in every week off the beaches of Florida and Texas, it’s hard not to wonder what you would do if you were attacked by a shark. Strike out? Scream? Swim away?

While avoidance is the best way to protect yourself, perhaps your best bet is to punch a shark in the face while it’s already coming your way. Ask the 19-year-old Oklahoma woman who was bitten while swimming with her family off the coast of Galveston, Texas, on May 28.

“When I turned around, a shark grabbed my hand,” said Damiana Humphrey. “I looked down and there was a shark hanging on my hand. I guess I started hitting it. I can’t really see that part yet.” The shark, which was reportedly between 4 and 5 feet long, let go and swam away. Humphrey escaped with four severed tendons in his hand.

On June 2, 46-year-old Caleb Adams was bitten by a shark in Del Mar, California, which he said repeatedly punched “in its mouth.” Last year, 13-year-old Ella Reed, while swimming at a beach in Fort Pierce, Florida, punched a shark that bit her in the torso and legs until it swam away.

Forget the movies. Sharks rarely want to bite you

Although reports of shark bites appear to be common and the injuries can be horrific, shark bites are extremely rare and shark bite deaths are even rarer.

Most shark bites are unprovoked — that is, they are not initiated by a human — and usually happen when a shark mistakes a human body part for a fish in poor visibility or simply accidentally bumps into a human and reacts, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, which maintains the International Shark Attack File (ISAF). Sometimes a shark bites to defend its habitat, like a dog defending its yard. Very few bites are caused by predators.

According to the Florida Museum, the annual number of unprovoked shark bites is about 70 people worldwide, resulting in an average of five deaths. In Florida, the number of bites may be comparatively higher.

New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County is the unofficial shark bite capital of the world, and on July 4 of this year, three people were bitten in the area within a matter of days.

However, many shark bites are relatively harmless and not many people die from shark attacks. The last fatal shark attack in Florida occurred 24 years ago, when 38-year-old kiteboarder Stephen Howard Schafer died of massive blood loss after being bitten by at least one shark off Stuart Beach.

A USA TODAY article reported that the odds of dying from a shark attack in the United States are 1 in 3,748,067.

If you see a shark in the water near you, stay calm

Few sharks feed on humans. If you see a shark swimming through the water near you while swimming or wading, stay calm and move away quickly without splashing too much if possible. Stay close to the rest of your group or other swimmers and divers. Sharks are less likely to attack a “shoal” of people than a single person.

“Hit-and-run bites occur near beaches where sharks try to make a living by catching fish,” says the Florida Museum’s shark avoidance page. “In rough surf, strong currents and murky water, a shark may mistake the movements of humans, who are normally at the surface, for those of its normal food, fish. The shark will snap at you, let go and immediately leave the area. Legs or feet are often bitten; injuries are usually minor and fatalities are rare.”

If you’re spearfishing or collecting and you’re holding your catch, let go and walk away, recommends the Florida Museum. The shark is much more interested in the sounds and smells of the fish than in you.

If a shark becomes openly aggressive, you should try to stick to nearby reefs, pier pilings or other structures that can reduce the angle of attack, the museum says. If there is nothing nearby, you should swim back-to-back with the person swimming with you.

If you are attacked by a shark, punch it in the nose

Again, most shark bites are accidental and instinctive, and a strong, proactive response may be the best way to ward them off.

“When a shark attacks, the best strategy is to hit it on the tip of its nose,” the museum said in a statement. “This usually causes the shark to back away.”

Repeated strikes are likely to lose impact, the museum says. Also, keep in mind that water resistance will soften your blow.

If a shark bites you, aim for the eyes

“If a shark does take you in its mouth, we advise you to defend yourself as aggressively as possible,” said George Burgess of ISAF. “Playing dead won’t work.”

“If possible, avoid using your (bare) hands or feet. If that’s not possible, concentrate your strikes on the shark’s sensitive eyes or gills,” advises R. Aiden Martin, director of the ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research until his death in 2007. “Then get out of the water as quickly and efficiently as possible” and keep an eye on the shark in case it attacks again.

“Strike the shark in any way you can. Try to use your claws to scratch at the eyes and gill openings, two very sensitive areas,” Burgess said. “When you release it, try to get out of the water as quickly as possible because if your blood is in the water, the shark could very well come back for another attack.”

“You should not remain passive during an attack because sharks respect their size and power,” the museum said in a statement.

If you are bitten by a shark, try to stop the bleeding immediately

Even before you get out of the water — or even get someone who’s been bitten out of the water — you should “make every effort to stop the bleeding,” Aiden said. “Apply direct pressure to any open wound to stop the bleeding. Avoid using a tourniquet unless blood loss is life-threatening.”

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