CONTENTS
Title Page
INTRODUCTION
1. THE RED SEA SERIAL KILLER
2. HONEYMOON HORROR IN PARADISE
3. ROGUE SHARKS OF REUNION ISLAND
4. SHARK DEVASTATION DOWN UNDER
5. NEW ZEALAND’S NASTY SHARKS
6. SAVAGERY IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
7. AMERICAN SHARK ATROCITIES
8. BEASTLY SHARKS OF THE BAHAMAS
9. HAWAIIAN SHARK HAVOC
10. SHARK ATTACK SURVIVORS BECOME THEIR SAVIOURS
11. WHERE THEY LIVE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
12. SOUTH AFRICAN SHARK ATTACKS
13. BRUTISH SHARKS OF BRAZIL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Copyright
‘Shark attack is probably the most-feared natural danger to man, surpassing even hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes in the minds of most beach users and sailors.’
Dr. George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and curator of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History
It is impossible to hear the word ‘shark’ without an accompanying feeling of terror: its jaws are inescapable, its ability for savagery the stuff of which nightmares are made. The world was alerted to the mayhem caused by sharks in the 1975 film classic Jaws. That was fiction of course. But the nightmare became fact in 2010 when a ‘serial-attacker’ shark caused death and terror at the holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Just six months later, in August 2011, the whole horror was re-ignited with the savage death of British man Ian Redmond while on honeymoon in the Seychelles. But attacks by some of the world’s biggest beasts are worldwide – and have been occurring for hundreds of years. Only over the last ten years has there been a huge increase in shark encounters. With more people wanting to get up close and personal with sharks and with dive companies more than willing to fulfil this desire, an even bigger increase is expected over the next decade. In 2011 there were 120 reported attacks, which included 20 deaths.
Many theories have been put forward as to why sharks attack including changes in sea conditions, over-fishing and familiarity with humans as more and more of us take to the waters. But there are some pretty startling revelations, too – some quite spooky – as to why the attacks take place. With a mystique that equals any science-fiction plot, the greatest number of attacks occurs during new moons. Experts believe this is because the new moon influences the movements and reproductive patterns of fish and sharks have developed the sense of knowing just what these changes are – and at exactly what time shoals are available for hoovering up. If you are in the water at the time, a shark will not differentiate between you and its fishy prey. It is the shark’s massive bulk and ferocious teeth that does the damage, of course. Horrendous injuries are caused simply because a human is tiny prey compared to the predator’s size.
You are also more likely to be attacked if wearing a black-and-white swimsuit, simply because the combination gives a shark a good colour contrast on which to feast its eyes. Oh, and don’t go into shallow water on a Sunday. In short, research by shark expert Dr. George Burgess shows that attacks are most likely to occur on a Sunday, in less than 2m (6.5ft) of water and during a new moon. More men than women are attacked, quite simply because more men take to the water. In most cases the shark will bite only once – either to see it if it likes the taste, to defend itself or simply in an act of aggression.
Sharks learn pretty quickly when it comes to finding food. In January 2012, a Tiger shark caught in the Gulf of Mexico coughed up feathers. It was just one that had caught onto the fact that birds disorientated by lights from oil rigs are easy pickings but then, having been around for over three million years, sharks have become pretty smart.
This book is a round-up of the major shark attacks throughout the world over the last ten years or so. It is impossible to mention them all as the number amounts to literally hundreds. I have tried to include as much detail as possible for each attack, but sometimes recorded information is a little vague, with some victims not identified or dates varying. This is understandable with so many attacks occurring at so many different locations.
I have also included shark facts and the odd extraordinary shark tale – sometimes these monstrous beasts create their own monstrous stories.
The experts tell us we have more chance of being knocked over by a car than being attacked by a shark, but read some of these shocking shark stories first and make up your own mind…
‘I BEGAN TO REALISE I WAS BEING EATEN ALIVE…’
Egypt’s tourist hot spot the Red Sea rightly deserved its name at the end of 2010 for the crystal-clear waters, a haven for divers because of the prolific sea life, were indeed turning red – with the blood of those maimed and killed by a shark.
But this was no one-off attack. It was if the beast was lying in wait for its prey; its taste for blood sharpened, its natural instincts enflamed to such a degree that human flesh and bone were literally easy meat.
Death and devastation were the only words to describe the events that occurred at the holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh during the serial-killer shark’s reign. The attacks left one woman dead and four other people horrifically injured – and memories equally scarring. So desperate were the authorities to bring an end to the nightmare that chaos and confusion abounded – with the predator proving as slippery as its stealthy movements below the water. Its deadly attacks were killing off the beach tourism that contributes a massive percentage towards the £7.8bn ($12bn) or so reaped by Egypt’s travel industry every year.
The shark seized its first victim around 2.40pm on Tuesday, 30 November 2010 at Tiran Beach. Russian woman Olga Martsinko, 48, lost an arm and was horrifically mauled as she snorkelled with her daughter (Elena, 21) in shallow waters close to the beach with the darkly ironical name of Shark’s Bay. The first time Olga realised she was not alone in the water was when her outstretched hand touched a solid bulk. Warnings of ‘Shark! Shark!’ were screamed in Russian by fellow holidaymakers. An Oceanic Whitetip – the species described by famous underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau as ‘the most dangerous of all sharks’ – was on the attack. Olga later gave a graphic account of her horrific ordeal.
‘At first I thought it was a dolphin, and then this black fin; I saw it right in front of me, this black fin. When it caught me by the arm I felt three rows of teeth. I felt a sharp pain as it came up, sank its teeth into my arm and began to wag me around. I knew there