Humans have an irrational fear of sharks. Most of this, I believe, is simply fear of the unknown. We don’t understand sharks nor most of the ocean and this frightens us. Combined with their poor treatment by the media and entertainment world, sharks overall get a bad rep. I’m here today to balance the score a little. Statistics put the risk of a shark attack worldwide at about 1 in almost 300 million. That’s a 3 with 8 zeros behind it! And this is only taking into account those who actually go in the water, not your Aunt Mildred who thinks the ocean is “dirty”.

That’s a big number, and big numbers don’t usually mean much to people. Let me put in in more relate-able terms. Here are 5 things more likely to happen to you than getting attacked by a shark:

1. Win an Academy Award. Over 50 Oscars are given out each year (including scientific and technical award winners), meaning you are more likely to win the coveted gold statuette this year than get bitten by a shark. Better get crackin’ on that script!
2. Die while scuba diving. While it sucks to think about, over 100 people die a year while scuba diving, often from unknown causes. You’re more likely to die while scuba diving from something like an equipment malfunction than to get attacked by a shark. There, don’t you feel better?
3. Dealt a full house—three times in a row. The odds of getting dealt a full house (three of a kind and two of another kind, one of the highest hands in poker) is 1 in 693. Let’s say you spend all night playing poker with the guys. You are more likely to get dealt a full house three times in a row than get bitten by a shark. Just how much money did you win last time you played poker?
4. Killed by a falling aircraft. In murky waters everyone’s on the lookout for killer sharks. How often are you on the lookout for falling aircraft? Instead of the Great White Shark you should be looking out for the Great White Airbus.
5. Win a Nobel Prize. Six prizes are awarded. This actually makes your odds of winning any one year lower than getting bit by a shark. However, factor in how often they are awarded, and your odds quickly zoom past shark territory. In fact, in any one year you are more likely to become a nobel laureate (nominee) than get attacked by a shark. Isn’t it nice to know that the Nobel prize committee cares more about you than Jaws?

Now don’t you feel ridiculous? These numbers are only for getting attacked by a shark. Let’s say lightning strikes and you do get bitten (actually, the chance of you getting struck by lightning is orders of magnitude greater than getting attacked by a shark). Even then, the chance of you dying is still very small (about 1 in 30).

The problem, of course, is that no one lives by statistics. Rather, we live by our emotions. Next time you feel yourself getting a little irrational, start running the numbers in your head. If worse comes to worse, who knows, maybe the sharks will decide to leave Rain Man alone.

About the Author: David Harmon is a PADI Divemaster, founder of “The Diving Blog” and all-around scuba enthusiast. His scuba blog records his learning curve & experiences as he journeys on to becoming a certified instructor. Catering to all levels of divers it discusses issues, offers tips and educates about all things subaquatic!

*Image Credits: photo by egarc2 on flickr

5 Things More Likely Than a Shark Attack was written by Noreen for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

In 2000 Marine biologists, oceanographers, engineers, computer programmers, came together with NOAA’s Pacific Fisheries Ecosystems Lab, Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Lab, and University of California, Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory to form TOPP Tagging of Pacific Predators, an ambitious feat to conduct a marine census by tagging marine animals and tracking them via satellite.

Over 150 Pacific Great White sharks were tagged with GPS transmitters along the entire pacific coastline by TOPP, and led to a fascinating yet puzzling discovery regarding the behavior of Pacific Great Whites.  The results of the research showed that each year in the winter, Great White Sharks in the Pacific perform a predictable and yet mysterious migration, leaving their favorite seal feeding grounds, near the coastline to travel 2000 Kilometers off the California Coast to a deserted stretch of ocean, an 400 mile-wide area with no distinctive underwater features, hardly any food in terms of prey, and spend up to 6 months at this site diving to incredible depths.

Once at the site known as White Shark Café, the Great Whites will perform repeated dives from 700 to up to 2000 feet and re surface every 16 minutes or so. Scientists are at a loss to explain the reasons as to why the Sharks arrive each year at the same spot and perform this mysterious ritual. Many believe that this is a mating ritual of the Great Whites, where they congregate once a year to mate. However the studies have shown that many juvenile Great Whites also perform the pilgrimage each year which indicates there might other reasons for the existence of the Café. Researchers have proven that there is no coinciding tuna or other large shoals passing by the site, which has hardly any plankton or sea life, which eliminates food as a cause of the migration.

Perhaps future research expeditions to the site will uncover the cause of this mystery of nature aptly nicknamed the White Shark Café.

The White Shark Café was written by Nevin for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Dark Tide is a thriller centered on a diving instructor (Halle Berry) who returns to deep waters after a near-fatal encounter with a Great White shark. Directed by John Stockwell, who brought us surfing and scuba films such as Blue Crush and Into the Blue, Dark Tide attempts to uncover the terrifying emotional challenges and the test of courage to return to diving after having a terrible encounter with a Great White Shark. The film is scheduled for release in 2011.

Halle was spotted recently looking sexy in a bikini and wetsuit, donning her scuba diving equipment before getting into a shark cage aboard a boat while filming for Dark Tide in Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa. Seal Island is populated by 60,000 cape fur seals and is known to have waters teaming with sharks including the Great White which prey on their favorite food, the seals. Halle and the Dark Tide crew will be spending three months in South Africa filming the breathtaking underwater sequences in the heart of white shark country. Halle will actually be attempting cage diving in shark infested waters for the film.

The film has been criticized by shark experts in South Africa who claim that this new movie will only advance the fear of Sharks in general, and in particular, the Great White shark which already has a bad reputation fueled by Hollywood movies such as Jaws. The shark experts of South Africa wish to try to change people’s perceptions of sharks, and feel portraying a near fatal encounter with a great white and fighting off a shark in the movie will only serve to undo the work they have been trying to achieve.

photo from flickr by g-na

Halle Berry Dives With Great Whites For New Movie was written by Nevin for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

Black Tip Reef Shark

One of the more common sightings on a reef dive is the Black-Tip Reef Shark which are found in the shallow coral reefs of tropical waters primarily in the indo-pacific. With a brownish skin color, the tips of the shark’s pectoral fin and dorsal fins are black, with a white underside. It has been recorded at up to 2 m (6.5 ft) in length and over 99 lbs (45 kg) in weight. Black tip reef sharks feed mainly on reef fish and are not known to attack divers.

White Tip Reef Shark

Also a frequent sighted shark, Whitetip reef shark are also found along the indo-pacific coral reefs and sometimes as far east as south Africa and Central America.  The Whitetip shark grows up to 1.6m (5.2ft) in length and is easily recognizable by its white-tipped dorsal and caudal fins. Living off a diet of fish, crustaceans and octopus, this species hunts mainly at night and are seldom aggressive towards humans.

Nurse Sharks

Are found in the shallow tropical and sub tropical waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific regions. Nurse Sharks can grow to a length of 4.3 meters (14ft) and is recognizable by its distinctive mouth which is far ahead of its eyes and made for bottom-feeding. Nocturnal by nature these sharks feed on crustaceans, mollusks stingrays and other fish.  Nurse sharks typically attack humans only if directly threatened.

Whale shark

These colossal creatures grow to a length of 20m and weigh up to 12,000 Kg feeding off zooplankton, squid and small fish. Found in all temperate and tropical regions, whale sharks  are instantly recognizable by its distinct spotted and striped body and wide mouth. Whale sharks are gentle giants and are very popular with divers that enjoy observing and swimming alongside these creatures while feeding. This species, despite its size, does not pose any significant danger to humans.

Blue Shark

All sharks swim very fast, but the blue shark is the fastest. These slender looking blue-skinned sharks can grow up to 12 feet long (4 meters). Inhabiting mainly the tropical and temperate waters of the ocean, the Blue shark is highly migratory. Its diet is mainly composed of squid and small bony fishes. The blue shark is considered to be one of the more dangerous sharks. It has been known to attack humans, which makes it one of species of shark that people most fear, however according to Wikipedia only 4 recorded Blue Shark fatalities have been recorded as of 2008.

Hammerhead Sharks

The most unique species of shark and also one of the more recognizable ones is the Hammerhead shark. Growing to a length of up to 6 m (20ft),it is known for its flat hammer shaped snout. Hammerheads inhabit temperate waters across the world ranging from southern Canada to New Zealand. Known to possess especially well developed electro-receptors  for hunting, hammerheads feed on a variety of fish and bottom dwelling creatures. There have been reported cases where Hammerhead sharks have attacked humans which are why they are feared.

Bull Sharks

Often confused with the great white shark, the bull shark is amongst the top three most dangerous sharks roaming in our oceans. The bull shark has a short, wide, rounded snout and plumper bodies.  Bull sharks are known for their aggressive behavior and the fact that they can live in both freshwater and saltwater. They can live in rivers, estuaries and some lakes in Central America. In fact, some have been found as far as 3000 km up the Amazon and Mississippi rivers. Bull Sharks feed on a wide variety of creatures including turtles, dolphins, seabirds and even other sharks.

Sand Tiger Sharks

Sand Tiger Sharks are also known as Grey nurse sharks are rather slow moving sharks and not aggressive to humans unless provoked. It grows to a length of 3.2 m (about 10.5 ft) and is identifiable by  its grey back and white underside. Found in the coastal waters of tropical and temperate regions, Sand Tiger sharks feed primarily on bony fishes including mackerels, other sharks and rays, squids, crabs and lobsters.

Tiger Sharks

Tiger sharks are perhaps most well known for their aggressive natures and bad reputation as a threat to humans. Second to the Great White, the Tiger Shark is responsible for the second highest number of fatalities related to shark attacks. Growing to a length of 5 meters and reaching a weight of almost 700kg tiger sharks will eat almost anything. They have been known to feed on whales, squid, fish, and turtles and even seabirds.

Great White Sharks

The big daddy of all sharks and also the most feared predator of the seas, the Great White like the Tiger Shark will feed on anything. Averaging about 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) Great Whites diet mainly comprises of seals, dolphins, whale carcasses, seabirds, turtles, squids and other sharks. The Great White Shark is found near the coasts of California, Australia and South Africa. Known to be responsible for almost 10 human fatalities a year, diving with Great Whites must be performed only with highly experienced divers and from the safety of a shark cage. (Also Read: Overcoming The ‘Jaws’ Factor When You Dive)

Photos by:WIlly Volk, StormyDog, richard ling, bryan scott photography, jon hanson, pterantula, Nemo’s great uncle, Thespis377, g-na

For the Best in Scuba Gear and Equipment right from Scuba regulators, Wetsuits,  Buoyancy Compensators, Scuba Accessories, underwater camera housings and more visit LeisurePro.com- The Diver’s Emporium

10 Common Shark Sightings was written by Nevin for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

(*Photo by- cdngrlnaomi on flickr)

Early Saturday a team of Cape Cod fishermen along with a state biologist, successfully tagged two of the great whites with tracking devices. This operation was the first successive great white shark tagging in Atlantic Ocean.

CNN News Reported:

“The taggings took place in the waters near Chatham, Massachusetts, two days after Greg Skomal, shark expert for the Division of Marine Fisheries, reported as many as five large sharks were seen near Monomoy Island, a National Wildlife Refuge off the southern elbow of Cape Cod. The island is about a mile away from Chatham’s Lighthouse Beach, a public swimming area.”

Tagging these sharks with satellite trackers better allows scientists to track the shark’s movements thus helping them understand their migratory patterns. Found near the coasts of California, Australia and South Africa, the Great White’s appearance near New England is relatively rare but not unheard of because of it’s seal colonies. Chatham does see other sharks species like makos, blue sharks and thresher sharks quite regularly because of the same.

So, while the big daddy of all sharks the Great White has taken residence off the Massachusetts shore, much to the inconvenience of beach swimmers, the tagging of the most feared predator of the sea’s is a boon to researchers who will hopefully gather some valuable data about these complex creatures which is a big step in learning more about them in the long run.

For the Best in Scuba Gear and Equipment right from Scuba regulators, Wetsuits,  Buoyancy Compensators, Scuba Accessories, underwater camera housings and more visit LeisurePro.com- The Diver’s Emporium

Tag You’re It!- Great Whites Tagged Near Massachusetts was written by Noreen for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World