Randy Martin, a 66 year old triathelete, was killed by a Great White shark on Friday, 25 Apr 08.

News Article

This thread really isn't about about trying to keep people from using the beaches. It's about how not to look like a seal, which is one of the Great White's favorite food.

The fact that Martin was only bitten into, and no parts were missing (he died due to massive and rapid blood loss), means that the Great White, after biting him, no longer considered him to be food (I assume we meaty humans taste rather different than blubbery seals, especially since our diets are quite different, as seals live almost exclusively on fish, whereas we're predominantly beef and salad eaters).

So:

1. Don't wear a solid black wetsuit (which is what Martin was wearing). You look a LOT like a seal that way.

2. Wear contrasting colors with varying patterns. White is not a good option, as it's too close to silver, and you don't want to be mistaken for a fish, either.

3. Stay away from large light-colored dots, as they look like jellyfish, another favorite food for some sharks.

4. If you are attacked, don't struggle, as the razor sharp teeth will just do that much more damage, and nearly all shark attacks are mistakes on the part of the shark (they're not the brightest of animals...).

5. DO, however, give it a solid punch in the nose! Why? Because fish don't punch. Neither do seals. A shark's snout is tender, loaded with nerve endings. A punch in the nose doesn't feel good, whether you're a shark or a human. Might not deter a Great White, but a smaller shark would certainly feel it. A good knee to the belly right below, and betwee the eyes works fairly well, too, as it's akin to getting punched in the throat.

6. If you have a weapon, go for the eye, but don't waste time trying to pinpoint it. Anywhere around the eye will give it pause for thought.

Well, that's enough cheery info on how to avoid an attack and what to do if you are attacked.

Cheer up, though. Out of an annual average of 67 shark attacks reported annually, only 4, just 6 percent (1 in 17) are fatal.

Furthermore, given the many millions of bathers, your chances of even being attacked in the first place is way less than 1 in a million.

So...

Anyone up for a trip to the beach?

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Yeah, my suggestion would be not to worry about it. The last fatal shark attack in that area was in 1994. In the intervening time, there have only been three other fatal shark attacks. I do think that bright colored suits is a good idea, for more than one reason.

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So, just how good is a shark's color vision?

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T. Anderson

Anthropocentric viewpoint.

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So they're saying that instead of the shark going:
It's actually going:

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That was my take on that too...

Only not quite as much fun.

They kinda dolled up the garbage man into a Sanitary engineer.

The reason is moot if you're the vic ... um ... one bitten!

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Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson

Not that I've ever had a conversation with a shark, but I suspect that rather than any nutty aftertaste, it's primarily the bone/meat ratio that turns them off. Most fish have soft bones and lots of flesh. I think that even seals are fairly fatty. But humans are just lots of bones with a bit of flesh and fat (though this may not be true of all Americans nowadays). Just think of it. Lions usually chew the flesh off the bones, but sharks just munch things down. Just imagine trying to chew up a leg, tibia and all. I don't think it would be all that appetizing.

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Likely so, Jens:

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Ok, next time a big white got me I will remember to stay cool, ignore the pain and all that blood around me, will remember not to fidget but to give him a hard punch on its nose.


SURE!!

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Agree!

But in reality , I may have faint already .

I guess Jaws was just practicing the Adkins diet a couple decades ahead of its time...

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