1V1 with a shark
Written by lara
The fact I want to share with you all this time is a fact I really hope you won’t ever have to use. Like really. Ever. But since you never know what life throws your way, it never hurts knowing what to do. So, today’s fact is basically how to survive a shark attack. It is unlikely you’ll find yourselves in a position where you’ll need to use it (hopefully) but since I’m deadly scared of sharks I’ll teach you how to act if the dreaded day comes. (I’m feeling gracious, thank me later)
That’s also why I choosed to use non scary pictures of sharks haha
The first tip is to ALWAYS keep an eye on the shark. Seems obvious but sharks are known to have multiple way of attacking. They can directly charge at you of course (We’ve all seen “Jaws”), circle around you and lung or even the surprise attack from behind (the sneaky creatures). You need to know where it is in order to escape.
Chances are that if you keep your cool and make no sudden movements the shark will just swim away. Isn’t that neat? Don’t make harsh movements that may scare or jolt the shark. Or even those splashes when you swim. Those bring unnecessary and unwanted attention to you.
Do not attempt to swim away, a shark will always outswim you.
If you’re in deep open waters, you might consider going back-to-back with another diver to cover any direction the sharks might take. If you’re near the shore a good tactic would be hiding behind a rock or reef to obstruct the way. It might be silly to even say but do not attempt to swim away, a shark will always outswim you. Furthermore, as soon as you try to flee you trigger the shark’s predatory reflexes and you become a prey. Sharks are apex predators. Which means they have no predators of their own. In other words, they are not used to prey fighting back, which is why it’s so efficient for us.
The big question remains how to fight back against a bloody SHARK ? Well ladies and gents, I’m here to spill the secrets. If the shark lunges at you, aim for its eyes, snout and grills. Sharp and hard jabs should do the trick. Do not be afraid to do it repeatedly if the shark doesn’t back away at first, because before long it’ll should simply give up and swim away.
Also, for some reason sharks are attracted to shiny objects (Hey, me too!) so don’t go swimming with jewelry my friends. Sharks are such divas they might want to steal them from you. Also maybe just for your safety don’t risk it.
In summary: Always keep an eye on the beast, never let your back face it, stay calm and controlled of your movements, if needed strike the eyes, the snout or grills. Swim away calmly while always facing the shark until you reach safety.
