# Survival > Primitive Skills & Technology >  How To Fend Off A Shark

## ezio.jr

*HOW TO FEND
OFF A SHARK*
*Hit back.*

If a shark is coming toward you or attacks you, use
anything you have in your possessiona camera,
probe, harpoon gun, your fistto hit the _shark's eyes
or gills_, which are the areas most sensitive to pain.

  Make _quick, sharp, repeated_ jabs in these areas.
Sharks are predators and will usually only follow
through on an attack if they have the advantage, so
making the shark unsure of its advantage in any way
possible will increase your chances of survival.

  Contrary to popular opinion, the shark's nose is *not*
the area to attack, unless you cannot reach the eyes or
gills. _Hitting the shark simply tells it that you are not
defenseless._


*How TO AVOID AN ATTACK*

 Always stay in _groups_sharks are more likely to
attack an individual.
 Do not wander too _far from shore_. This isolates
you and creates the additional danger of being too
far from assistance.
 Avoid being in the water during _darkness or
twilight hours_, when sharks are most active and
have a competitive sensory advantage.
 Do not enter the water if you are_ bleeding_ from an
open wound or if you are menstruatinga shark is
drawn to blood and its olfactory ability is acute.
 Try _not to wear_ shiny jewelry, because the
reflected light resembles the sheen offish scales.
 Avoid waters with known effluents or sewage
and those being used by sport or commercial
fishermen, especially if there are _signs of bait fish
or feeding activity_. Diving seabirds are good
indicators of such activity.
 Use extra caution when waters are _murky_ and
avoid showing any uneven tan lines or wearing
_brightly_ colored clothingsharks see contrast
particularly well.
 If a shark shows itself to you, it may be _curious_
rather than predatory and will probably swim on
and leave you alone. If you are under the surface
and lucky enough to see an attacking shark, then
you do have a good chance of defending yourself
if the shark is not too large.
 Scuba divers should _avoid lying on the surface_,
where they may look like a piece of prey to a
shark, and from where they cannot see a shark
approaching.
 A shark attack is a _potential danger_ for anyone
who frequents marine waters, but it should be
kept in perspective. Bees, wasps, and snakes are
responsible for _far more fatalities_ each year, and
in the United States the annual risk of death
from lightning is thirty times greater than from
a shark attack.


*THREE KINDS OF SHARK ATTACKS*

*"HIT AND RUN" ATTACKS* are by far the most
common. These typically occur in the surf zone,
where swimmers and surfers are the targets.
The victim seldom sees its attacker, and the shark
does not return after inflicting a single bite or
slash wound.

*"BUMP AND BITE" ATTACKS* are characterized by
the shark initially circling and often bumping the
victim prior to the actual attack. These types of
attacks usually involve divers or swimmers in
deeper waters, but also occur in nearshore shallows
in some areas of the world.

*"SNEAK" ATTACKS differ:* the strike can occur
without warning. With both "bump and bite"
and "sneak" attacks, repeat attacks are common
and multiple and sustained bites are the norm.
Injuries incurred during this type of attack are
usually quite severe, frequently resulting in death.
*Be Aware
*
 Most shark attacks occur in _nearshore waters_, typically
inshore of a sandbar or between sandbars where
sharks feed and can become trapped at low tide. 
  Areas with steep drop-offs are also likely attack sites. Sharks
congregate in these areas, because their natural prey
congregates there. 
Almost any large shark, roughly _six feet or longer_ in total length, is a potential threat to
humans. But three species in particular have repeatedly
attacked man: 
*the white shark* (Carcharodon carcharias), 
*the tiger shark* (Galeocerdo cuvieri), and
*the bull shark* (Carcharhinus leucas).
 All are cosmopolitan in distribution, reach large sizes, and consume
large prey such as marine mammals, sea turtles, and
fish as normal elements of their diets.
Thanks For Reading!
Source: "The worst case scenario"

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## madmax

oh boy.  Nothing like the voice of experience (I especially like the term "harpoon gun"  That's a term we use all the time...not).  As a surfer and spearfisherman in Fl (and traveled) I can tell you most waternen look upon sharks very fatalistically.  If that big shark wants you,  you're dead.  Fight all you want.

IF it happens,  I will scream for help and paddle with whatever limbs I have left for shore or boat/

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## ezio.jr

well, yeah, but at least you can try and maybe if you are lucky, you can survive (like the attack of 2 sharks to the australian surfer recently in sout africa)

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## ezio.jr

hahahaha "whatever limbs I have left"  :Laugh:

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## madmax

Sorry if I came off a little harsh but there's a lot of conjecture about this.  Every season here in FL some TV face will give all kinds of advice.  What they ought to do is show the aerial pics of hundreds of sharks swimming around swimmers during migration.  But then again, that would be terrible for the tourist trade.

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## Seniorman

Too bad all those sailors on the USS Indianapolis didn't have this advice.   :Ohmy: 

S.M.

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## crashdive123

How much experience with sharks do you have, or was this just something you read?

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## ezio.jr

it's an article from a book , I just wanted to share it..

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## hunter63

Maybe stick to stuff you know about personally?.......
Posting stuff you really don't know anything about doe not impress anyone.

Is that is an example of what your survival channels are all about?.....

At I least you gave credit to the source.

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## NightSG

200 miles inland and 1300' above sea level, I just make a point of checking for giant cracks in the glass if I visit an aquarium.

Sharks roaming loose here would be tough enough none of those tips will help.

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## madmax

Hey ya never know...
https://youtu.be/m4a-ckzpD0I

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## crashdive123

Here's the best advice you will receive on avoiding a shark attack (assuming you are going into the ocean).  Don't swim with the bait.  At certain times, large schools of fish swim in big pods.  That's bait.  Stay out of the water at those times.

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## madmax

> Here's the best advice you will receive on avoiding a shark attack (assuming you are going into the ocean).  Don't swim with the bait.  At certain times, large schools of fish swim in big pods.  That's bait.  Stay out of the water at those times.


Birds diving are a great indicator of baitfish.  I keep a close eye on them and no matter how good the waves, I'll bail if they get close.

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## kyratshooter

This is very much like the advice we get for avoiding bear attacks.

All the experts, who have never been attacked,  have opinions on what to do in the presence of an aggressive predator, and it might or might not work.  

All the while, the second best way to avoid attacks is to not appear as or smell like shark or bear food.

The #1 way to avoid attacks is to never be found in the water or woods.

I can deal with the bears, can't deal with the sharks. 

I have purchased several firearms with primary use as bear protection over the years.  

Have not been in the ocean since 1975.

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## NightSG

> All the while, the second best way to avoid attacks is to not appear as or smell like shark or bear food.


I wonder if eating enough bear meat would alter your scent to make bears avoid you.  Could be a very good argument in favor of starting to hunt very early in a survival situation.

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## hunter63

> I wonder if eating enough bear meat would alter your scent to make bears avoid you.  Could be a very good argument in favor of starting to hunt very early in a survival situation.


Make sure it "Male beer meat".....?...LOL

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## kyratshooter

> I wonder if eating enough bear meat would alter your scent to make bears avoid you.  Could be a very good argument in favor of starting to hunt very early in a survival situation.



Never worked for me that I could tell.

I do know what will call them in like a magnet....

BACON!!!

Been there, done that.

Wound up sleeping on top of the trail shelter with a bunch of very peed off hikers as a big hungry sow bear with three cubs circled us all night.  She and the cubs taste tested about a thousand dollars worth of sleeping bags. 

I was christened with the trail name "Bear Bait" that night.

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## WalkingTree

> I can deal with the bears, can't deal with the sharks.


Man...*forget* sharks. Not that I want to slap a bear on the butt...but I *really* don't want to slap a shark on it's butt. If you think you'll feel helpless and vulnerable facing a bear...in the water, you can't climb up a tree or walk backwards.

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## edr730

Frying bacon and it's grease is an old bear hunting trick. Rates up there with fish parts in a gallon jug left in the sun a few days and dumped around the blind.

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## Billofthenorth

http://biofort.blogspot.com/2008/09/...chigan-no.html

Bull sharks can live in fresh water and from an incident that happened in Australia a few years back, it seems they can reproduce there too. Don't think you're safe just because "they don't live here"....

As far as other animal type attacks here is a video series on youtube by a guy (Riflechair) that seems to know his business. Watch Video 4 if you just want to learn about bears, bear spray etc. Watch all five if you have the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1chhy85qk

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## Seniorman

> NIGHTSG - " ... I wonder if eating enough bear meat would alter your scent to make bears avoid you. ..."


That might make you even more appetizing to a Black bear.  It is well known that Black bears will eat each other, including cubs sometimes.  Scavengers eat whatever is on the table.  :Laugh: 

S.M.

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