shark attack
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A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year, a number of people are attacked by sharks, although most survive. Despite the relative rarity of shark attacks, the fear of sharks is a common phenomenon, having been fueled by the occasional instances of attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, and by sensationalized fiction and film, such as the Jaws series. Many shark experts feel that the danger presented by sharks has been exaggerated, and even the creator of the Jaws phenomenon, the late Peter Benchley, attempted to dispel the myth of sharks being man-eating monsters in recent years.
Statistics

In 2000, there were 79 shark attacks reported worldwide, 11 of them fatal. In 2005 and 2006 this number dropped to 61 and 62 respectively, while the number of fatalities dropped to only four per year. Of these attacks, the majority occurred in the United States (53 in 2000, 40 in 2005 and 38 in 2006). [1] For the same period, the Global Shark Attack File records 69 unprovoked attacks of which five were fatal.[2]
The Florida Museum of Natural History points out that these numbers should be compared with the much higher deaths from other, less feared causes; for example, several hundred people die annually from lightning strikes.[3]
[edit]Species involved in incidents
Contrary to popular belief, only a few sharks are dangerous to humans. Out of more than 360 species, only four have been involved in a significant number of fatal unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger, oceanic whitetip shark[4] and bull sharks.[5] These sharks, being large, powerful predators may sometimes attack and kill people, but all of the above sharks, even the great white, have been filmed in open water, with no cage,[6][7] time and time again without problems.
Modern day statistics do not show that the oceanic whitetip shark has often been involved in unprovoked attacks in the past, especially during World War I and World War II. The oceanic whitetip lives in the open sea and rarely shows up near coasts, where nowadays most incidents occur. During the world wars many ships and aircraft disasters have happened in the open ocean. And due to its abundance the oceanic whitetip is often the first species on site when such a disaster happens.
Infamous examples of oceanic whitetip attacks include the sinking of the Nova Scotia, a steamship carrying 1000 that was sunk near South Africa by a German submarine in World War II. Only 192 people survived, with many deaths attributed to the oceanic whitetip shark.[8] Another example was the torpedoing of the USS Indianapolis on 30 July 1945, giving a minimal figure of 60--80 killed by oceanic whitetips.[9] Some survivors stated that tiger sharks were involved too. (less info)