While shark attacks are on the rise in Australia, the risk of being bitten remains low, according to a shark researcher. Dr. Daryl McPhee emphasizes that drowning is a far greater danger than encountering a shark.
Your chance of drowning in the ocean is 20 times higher than being bitten by a shark, according to one researcher. Bites occurring in Australia have steadily risen over time as more people enter the water, but shark researcher Associate Professor Daryl McPhee said the likelihood of being attacked was still 'exceptionally low'.Associate Professor Daryl McPhee believes the fear many Australians have of sharks is disproportionate to the risk of being bitten.
'On a decade-by-decade basis, we are seeing more shark bites — particularly on surfers — in Australia, and that is consistent with a global trend,' Dr McPhee said, noting attack numbers in some areas have started trending downward. He said there were a range of factors impacting how often people are bitten, including an increase in the popularity of surfing. 'The risk of an unprovoked shark bite, even though there's a long-term increase on bites on surfers, is exceptionally low,' Dr McPhee said.Swimmers and surfers should avoid entering the water if they can see large swarms of fish gathered nearby, as the school could attract sharks.He pointed to Wobbegong sharks as an example, which have been responsible for numerous bites around Sydney. ' sit on the seabed and they simply get stood on, so their reaction is to turn around and bite the foot that's standing on them,' he said. Through his research, Dr McPhee has heard about divers purposely poking sharks, attempting to ride or jump on the creatures, swimmers approaching dead whales, and drunk beachgoers unknowingly swimming with sharks at night.'Most bites on surfers, mostly if not all, are unprovoked,' he said.Dr McPhee said evolution has left our brains 'hardwired to fear animals that can harm us'. ' we're not as hardwired to fear things such as smoking, which can cause harm in the long-term, or driving,' he sai
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