80 or so unprovoked shark attacks are reported each year globally. Despite how infrequent they are, many people are afraid of shark attacks because of occasionally publicized serial assaults or sensationalized Hollywood films.
We can’t blame them, either! Great white sharks have attacked humans 333 times, 52 of which resulted in fatalities, making them the most aggressive sharks in the world. The truth is that a great white shark may not be able to tell a surfer or swimmer from their preferred prey when they are spotted from below.
A swimmer was enjoying a beautiful day in the shallows of the water while at the beach. Thankfully, not many people appear to be in the water in the now-viral drone clip of what this person experienced.
While they were in the water, you can see a shark approaching from behind. A drone camera caught the entire encounter on camera, showing just how close this person was to being the shark’s lunch that day.
Mistaken Identity
Other beachgoers can be heard gasping and yelling for the individual to get out of the water. If you look closely at the video, you’ll be surprised to see the shark didn’t have any interest in the human.
Once the shark dashes toward the person, you can see a large fish swim away. It’s safe to assume the razor-toothed animal was going after the fish and took a sudden turn away once he spotted the man.
If you scroll through the comments of the video, many write about how happy they are that the fish got away! Who knew fish were clever enough to hide behind a person? Little did the fishie know that this tactic would save his life on this day!
Sharks Near Shore
Sharks usually only attack humans if they’re incredibly hungry. This is another reason why the animal could’ve been so close to shore. Sharks swimming closer to urban coasts, according to researchers, is an indication of both environmental improvement and climatic change.
Traditionally, shark populations have suffered in metropolitan areas due to pollution and overfishing. The Florida Museum of Natural History’s statistics appears to support the statistic that “most shark attacks occur less than 100 feet from the beach,” noting that “attacks on surfers and swimmers are most common in 6 to 10 feet of water.”
Instinct will tell you to flee right away if you’re in the water and a shark shows up out of nowhere. Resist the temptation. You naturally will want to flee as quickly as you can when you spot a predator. But then, you have a much higher chance of being bitten. A shark may become predatory if you start to panic. You’re not automatically on the menu just because a shark is around.
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