What to do if a shark bumps you?

If you're attacked
  1. Defend yourself - playing dead doesn't work.
  2. Use whatever you have at your disposal (surfboard, dive gear, fishing equipment) to avoid using your bare hands to attack the shark.
  3. If you must use your hands, concentrate on attacking the eyes, nose and gills.
  4. Make sudden movements to scare the shark.

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How do you deal with a shark bite?

Shark Bite Treatment

Control any visible bleeding by applying direct pressure. Keep the victim calm. Provide warmth, since the victim may be chilled from the water and may be in shock. Call 911 to transport the person to an emergency medical facility.

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What to do if a shark approaches you while surfing?

If you see a shark near you, just get out of the water. Give them their space and come back and surf later. Chances are that if you see them you're probably safe since they do love a good sneak attack, but just the same, this small preventative measure may keep you surfing for years to come.

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Can a human survive a shark bite?

You have an 89.4% chance of surviving a shark attack.

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Can a human out swim a shark?

Phelps' fastest speed in the water is around 6 mph and the top speed recorded by a great white shark is around 25 miles per hour. It's still unclear if the Discovery Channel plans to level the playing field or in this case, the ocean, but we can verify that no, a human cannot outswim a great white shark.

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How to Survive a Shark Attack, According to Science

23 related questions found

Should you push a shark away?

PUSH: Is it necessary to have a more forceful response, it is OK to push a shark as long as one does not hit the animal. Pushing is always recommended should a shark approach in a frontal manner. MOVE: If a shark comes back a few more times, and one starts to feel threatened, one should move towards the shark.

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Why are surfers not afraid of sharks?

Research has found people high in sensation-seeking, which is the tendency for people to pursue thrill-seeking experiences, view the risks of sharks as lower. It is plausible that many surfers are high on sensation-seeking, which may help explain why they perceive the risk of sharks to be low.

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What does it mean when a shark bumps you?

Bump & Bite: Characterized by the shark circling and often “bumping” their victim prior to instigation of an attack. Unfortunately, this behaviour appears to be associated with feeding and often leads to serious, often fatal, injuries. Multiple bites are not uncommon.

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Does seeing dolphins mean no sharks?

This myth is often associated with a shark safety tip: “If you see dolphins, it's safe to swim there because their presence scares away sharks.” This is simply not correct. In fact, sharks and dolphins are often found near each other for a simple reason—they eat the same food, and both go where the food is.

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Should you leave the water if you see a shark?

Get Out of the Way

If the shark appears to be coming closer to you, get out of the water! But remember those magic words: Stay calm. You'll want to move quickly, but calmly and smoothly. Do your best to keep the shark in sight.

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What is the shallowest water a shark can swim in?

Everybody can make their own personal decision, but realizing that sharks can get into water as shallow as five of six feet deep is something that people need to realize.”

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Where do you stab a shark if attacked?

It is commonly believed that the best way to fend off a shark attack is to punch (or stab, if you can) a shark in its nose, which is especially sensitive. The best bet, however, is to go for the eyes and gills, as Lisewski did.

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What are sharks afraid of?

Quick Answer: They are Fast, Smart, and Work as a Dolphin Team. Sharks and dolphins are two of the most formidable creatures in the ocean, but while sharks are often seen as fearsome predators, they are known to be intimidated by dolphins.

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What are the odds of being attacked by a shark?

In the United States, even considering only people who go to beaches, a person's chance of getting attacked by a shark is 1 in 11.5 million, and a person's chance of getting killed by a shark is less than 1 in 264.1 million.

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What is sharks biggest fear?

Just like we check under our beds for monsters, sharks check for dolphins before nodding off. That's right, the toughest kids on the undersea block swim in fear of dolphins. Here, we've compiled a splash of facts to tell you why.

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Should I be scared of sharks at the beach?

Being afraid of sharks is totally normal. You wouldn't be here today if your ancestors didn't stay away from things with pointy teeth. But you shouldn't let a fear of sharks prevent you from experiencing the beauty of the underwater world.

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How do I stop being scared of sharks?

Visit the sharks.

Acclimate yourself to the sharks. Watch them, see how they act around other marine life, study how they swim and move their body. Think of them as an animal instead of a monster. If you are truly afraid of getting close to a shark even behind glass, look at pictures of sharks.

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Do you punch a shark in the nose or eye?

Despite the old saying that aiming for the snout is the best strategy, a shark's most sensitive areas are really its eyes and its gills. Aiming for the nose, which is not known to be a weak spot, is generally considered a bad idea.

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Should you hit a shark in the eye or nose?

As with all animal attacks, the best advice is to go for the eye. If you poke something in the eye, it will stop what it is doing. Sharks have a protective eyelid-like barrier called a nictitating membrane, but it's designed to protect from a thrashing fish caught in that shark's jaws and not from fingers.

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Is it OK to touch a shark?

Is it OK to touch a shark? While it may be tempting, Julie Andersen of Shark Angels says that divers should resist the urge to touch sharks. Julie Andersen — one of Scuba Diving's 2012 Sea Heroes — is founder and executive director of Shark Angels, a U.S. nonproft dedicated to protection of sharks.

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Are sharks attached to human blood?

FACT: Sharks know the difference between fish and human blood and, while they can smell our blood, it is not a scent they associate with food. Scientific experiments have repeatedly shown that sharks have no interest in human blood.

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Can Michael Phelps outswim a shark?

His top speed of around 1.7 mph is well below the top speeds that our champs are able to achieve. So, can Phelps or Ledecky actually outswim a shark? Yes, it is possible. It just depends on which shark is in the lane next to them.

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