NEW ORLEANS — With the July 4th holiday approaching, many of you may head to the beach.
Still, there are some who are wary of getting in the water after three people were injured earlier this month, in Florida, from shark attacks.
So, an expert has tips on how to lower your chances of being approached by a shark.
For advice to protect yourself from a shark attack, we turn to Tulane marine biologist, Dr. Tim McLean. He says sharks are not out to attack humans, but may accidentally mistake you for something else they want to eat.
“We do know that more often than not, when a shark does take a bite, and opens their mouths, and the jaws come down, they actually stop themselves, and don't complete the bite,” said Dr. Tim McLean, Tulane Senior Professor of Practice in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, who teaches a course in sharks.
So, how do you prevent that? Well, sharks are good predators because they have seven senses. That’s two more than the usual touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing.
“They can also detect vibrations from fishes that are swimming near them, those slight vibrations in the water, and they can also detect electrical signals.”
So, because of that, if approached, calmly move away, don't splash around.
And there is some thought that those shark magnet bands will repel sharks by over-stimulating their ability to detect electricity.
“There have been studies using this technology to show that if this is incorporated into a fish hook, it does appear that there are fewer sharks being caught on those hooks,” he said.
However, there are no independent studies for them on humans.
Now here are things that do attract sharks: the reflections from jewelry, and the smell from the proteins in any urine, or blood that you put out in the water, being around people fishing with bait, or schools of fish that are closer to shore this time of year. Some species of sharks are also reproducing this time of year, which brings them closer to shore.
Now as a last resort, what do you do if you are approached by one?
“The eyes are incredibly sensitive, and the other are the gills. So, if you can get your fingers into the gills, and just rake across those gills, odds are really good that the shark will not be interested in you,” explained Dr. McLean.
Or, put your raft, or snorkel between the two of you.
And remember, unprovoked attacks are still very rare. On average, there are 70 a year worldwide.
“We're not really experiencing anything that's beyond the normal. In fact, we're just a little bit below the average this year compared to previous years,” he added.
And the scientist says it may seem as if there are more attacks in recent years, because now the rescues are more likely to be captured by cell phone cameras, and posted on social media.
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