Why are so many people afraid of sharks? (And should more of us be?)

In the movie "Jaws" it's depicted as a monster - out to kill whomever and whatever it can find in the water.

And although sharks killing humans in real life is rare - when it does happen, like last year in the Bahamas or in June 2023 when a tourist in Hurghanda off the coast of Egypt in the Red Sea was fatally wounded - it makes front page news.

Such Hollywood blockbusters and news stories have make many people deathly afraid of sharks. But the actual risk of being one's lunch is completely out of proportion to the fear some have.

The US database International Shark Attack File (Isaf) registered 57 so-called "unprovoked attacks" worldwide in 2022, five of which were fatal: two in South Africa, two in Egypt and one in the United States.

There were also 32 "provoked attacks," for example because people were fishing in the vicinity of the incident or bait was floating in the water. No overview is yet available for 2023.

However, in terms of how many people swim in the sea, the risk of a shark attack is "extremely low", according to the Isaf.

So why are we still so afraid of sharks? And what should you do if you spot a shark while swimming in the sea? Marine biologist and shark researcher Simon Weigmann has the answers.

Where does the discrepancy between the actual risk and the great fear of shark attacks come from?

Weigmann: There are various reasons for this. One is that it was triggered by films in which sharks are portrayed as very monstrous. Another is that some sharks are simply very large animals. Adult great white sharks or tiger sharks certainly fulfil the cliché of the monster - simply because of their sheer size, their gigantic mouths and their many teeth.

And it is probably also the idea of simply being devoured: This apparently seems more terrifying than, say, the deadly sting of certain jellyfish, which don't look threatening. Or cone snails: There are some species that are known to kill people time and time again. They have beautiful shells, but are still deadly.

What's more: I think the sea is always a bit scary for many people because you can't see what's coming from below when you're swimming. On land, there are many animals that cause many more deaths. Whether it's snakes or, if you like, even mosquitoes, which indirectly cost many more lives by transmitting diseases.

Is it a bit of a primal fear?

Weigmann : Yes, perhaps. The water, which is large and unknown, and a large animal that is very fast and precise and equipped with good senses for hunting. What perhaps plays into it is that you don't have it under control in that case. This is reminiscent of a fear of flying, which many people also have. And this despite the fact that the probability of having an accident in a car is much higher than crashing in an aeroplane.

So how likely is a shark attack?

Weigmann : The probability of an attack is extremely low. Fatal attacks are isolated cases - very tragic cases, of course, each on its own.

There are many analogies and comparisons. I think the most frequently used is the lightning strike. And you could say that the probability of being struck by lightning is always much higher than being killed by a shark.

Why do sharks attack at all? In Hurghada (where a tourist died) , authorities suspected that animal carcasses in the sea attracted the shark - and perhaps the animal then mistook the swimmer for a carcass.

Weigmann : That could be true. There have been cases in Egypt where people have died and where animal carcasses have been disposed of. It seems plausible to me that sharks were attracted by the smell of the carcasses, were therefore close to the beach and then bit due to a mix-up. In general, the common assumption among researchers is that most shark attacks are the result of mistaken identity.

Another example is attacks on surfers. It is actually assumed that sharks confuse surfboards seen from below with the silhouette of seals. In regions where great white sharks and seal colonies live, such confusion occurs.

An indication that they are confused is that the sharks often only make test bites during such attacks - which unfortunately can sometimes cause fatal injuries. This means that the shark only makes one bite, but then swims on because it realizes that it is not prey. At least in the case of great white sharks, it is assumed that they do not like human flesh.

Does blood attract sharks?

Wiegmann : Basically, sharks have excellent senses and are also excellent at smelling. They can detect highly diluted blood. However, they usually need several sensory stimuli: for example, if they detect an increased heartbeat in the vicinity, they might come to see if an injured animal is swimming there.

But it is not the case that you should never go into the sea with a small wound, such as a cut finger, because sharks will come straight away - unless it is an area where the authorities say there are sharks and this is indicated.

What do you actually do if a shark comes close to you while diving or if you spot a shark fin above the water while swimming?

Weigmann : If you see a shark while snorkelling, which is unfortunately quite rare nowadays, you can usually enjoy it. It will usually be a small shark.

To put it in perspective: there are over 500 species of shark in the world, a huge variety. It is assumed that only about a dozen of these species pose any kind of danger to humans. Essentially, only three species are responsible for fatal attacks: the great white shark, the tiger shark and the bull shark.

If you see a large specimen of one of these potentially dangerous species, the motto is: stay as calm as possible. That may sound easier said than done. However, there is no point in swimming away, as the shark is much faster than you are. This means you should keep your eyes fixed on the shark and try to maintain eye contact. Don't turn your back, because sharks actually prefer to attack from an ambush.

And - if possible - you should not make any rapid splashing movements in the water, as this can remind the shark of an injured animal. You can try to make yourself taller so that you are virtually standing in the water. And then try to swim away as slowly and in as controlled manner as possible, gain distance and get out of the water.

And if the shark does attack?

Weigmann : If the shark does attack, you can try to hit its sensory organs. However, this is controversial: If I try to hit the shark on the nose, where many sensory cells are located, or the eyes, it can of course happen that the arm ends up in the mouth. Especially as the water also slows down the striking movement: hitting the nose probably works much better in films than in reality.

Many attacks, especially from smaller sharks, are more of a quick bite because the shark feels too constricted. Divers should never touch the animals.

Marine biologist Dr Simon Weigmann conducts research on sharks and rays in his own laboratory, the Elasmo-Lab Hamburg, and is an associated scientist at the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) in Hamburg.