Last year, Australia found itself at the forefront of a rather grim leaderboard, becoming the world’s capital for shark fatalities, with a staggering four out of 10 global deaths.
South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula emerged as a particularly tragic hotspot, with three lives lost to the ocean’s apex predators.
Across the nation, there were 15 unprovoked attacks, with Western Australia and South Australia leading the statistics in a macabre tally.
Meanwhile, the United States reported the highest number of shark attacks globally, totalling 32, of which two were fatal. This juxtaposition of numbers reveals a stark reality: the threat of shark attacks, while relatively rare, is a global concern, albeit one that manifests differently across various coastlines.
Australia’s response to this challenge has been proactive. Since November 2020, there has been an effort to tag and track a significant number of sharks: 544 great whites, 131 tigers, and 92 bull sharks.
Yet, these numbers represent a fraction of the population, with estimates suggesting that the east coast alone could be home to between 2,500 and 6,750 great whites.
This effort to understand and monitor shark movements is not just about reducing the risk of attacks but is a testament to Australia’s commitment to coexist with these magnificent but misunderstood creatures.
Tips to Consider
How does one avoid becoming an appetiser for these marine predators? Top of the list, naturally, is to avoid the ocean entirely.- Consult the SharkSmart app. The wizardry of technology is set to escalate, with lifesavers soon capable of discerning shark-infested waters via a water sample.
- Pick your times. Forget swimming at dawn and dusk, as this is the preferred time for stealthy bull sharks. If you’d prefer to avoid a great white then know that they show a marked preference for activity between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., peaking around 11 a.m. In terms of months, great whites seem to set off the most alarms in July, while June sees heightened activity from bull and tiger sharks.
- Post-rain swims are a no-go; murky waters make you look remarkably seal-like to the discerning shark.
- Avoid swimming near river mouths, for they are akin to shark dining rooms.
- Opt for netted beaches, the aquatic equivalent of a safe haven.
- Never swim or surf solo; bring a friend—or an enemy—to halve your chances of a shark encounter. And make sure that friend is not your dog. While Scooby might enjoy frolicking in the surf, to a shark, he’s nothing more than Scooby snack.
- Reconsider the allure of shiny jewellery. To the discerning eye of a shark, you’ve just turned yourself into a swimming buffet of fish scales, ripe for snapping.
- Venturing into the water with an open, bleeding wound is another faux pas in the realm of shark beach etiquette. It’s akin to walking into a lion’s den doused in steak sauce.
- As for the aquatic ballet, excessive splashing is most certainly out of vogue. To a shark, your frantic flailing might as well be the dinner bell at a seafood buffet, signalling the start of a feeding frenzy.
- Surfers are often reassured that sharks aren’t out to get them personally, but with the seas being overfished, these increasingly svelte predators are venturing closer to shore in search of a meal. Although humans don’t quite tickle their taste buds, they don’t know this until they have a bite.
Beware at These Beaches
As reported in the Daily Telegraph, beaches you may wish to avoid would include Yamba, now the undisputed heavyweight champion of sharkiness boasting a staggering 62,835 shark detections in a single year.Sydney, not to be completely overshadowed, has its shark hotspot at Maroubra, clocking in 722 detections. The northern beaches have also been part of the action, with North Steyne, Narrabeen, and Palm Beach acting as the prime runway for 446 shark catwalks.
Cronulla Beach’s listening station had its own shark festival, triggering alerts 294 times. February was a bull shark bonanza in the Sutherland Shire, while May turned into a great white gala.
Bondi Beach, ever the tourist magnet, recorded 235 detections, with tiger sharks leading the January race, bull sharks keeping pace in February, and great whites taking over in May.
Rounding out the sharkiest spots are the council areas of Kempsey, Shoalhaven, Bellingen, and Richmond Valley. Great Whites, ever the celebrities of the shark world, topped the charts with 34,929 alerts, followed by the bullish charm of 27,197 bull shark detections.
In a nutshell, if you’re planning a swim in these parts, it might be wise to keep one eye on the water and the other on the nearest exit. Although, it’s all part of the thrill of Australia, with its venomous snakes and spiders, crocodiles and box jellyfish.
Oh and have you heard about blue bottles?
