Sharks vs Lightning

[archiebald]

I have seen a few "fear of shark" topics here and coincidentally, I was priveliged to see my first large sharks in Guam a couple of weeks ago. It was only a pair of nurse sharks but at about 2.5m long, they are the biggest creature I have seen since starting diving.

Also, coincidentally, there were some epic thunderstorms while we were there. Then just recently I happened to be browsing and came across these archived news items.

Articles about Lightning Deaths - Orlando Sentinel

The one which really opened my eyes was this;

July 21, 1993

"Beware the hazards of July. So warns the National Weather Service. On the beaches of Central Florida, the lightning capital of the world, you are more likely to be struck by a bolt from the blue than bit by a shark from the surf. Florida leads the nation in lightning deaths and injuries. And, according to officials at the National Weather Service in Daytona Beach, one of the worst places to be in a thunderstorm is at the beach. Since 1959, when figures were first recorded, lightning has killed 339 people in Florida and injured 1,000."

Bear in mind the statistics are only for Florida and only from 1959 to 1993, a period of 34 years and another 19 years have passed since this article was written....

If we assume the same average of 10 per year has continued then that puts the figure at approx. 530 deaths in Florida alone.

How many GLOBAL shark deaths have there been in a similar period?

Seems like that jerk Spielberg should have made a movie called "Volts" or "Amps" instead of "Jaws".

 

[Griffo]

You might not have the same opinion if diving off Perth and a GWS comes swimming up to say hello

But yeah, more people are probably killed by bees and lightning and any number of things than sharks. But people tend to fear the "unknown". I think that's natural.
The first time I saw a Grey Nurse I almost shat my wetsuit, but once someone told me what it was (all I could think was 'big shark') then I went looking for them on repeat dives.
Education.

 

[g1138]

You'll notice that very few shark cases involve missing (aka eaten) limbs. Why are most surface shark attacks hit and runs? It's simply mistaken identity or curiosity. Sharks don't have hands, the only way to really investigate something is to put it in their mouth. It's exactly the same reason babies are always sticking things in their mouth, it's easier to tactile sense for them.

Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws realized his mistake in writing a horror novel on the great white and has spent a great deal of time and money trying to turn public opinion. Spielberg, likewise, regrets making the movie adaptation as well.

 

[TMHeimer]

I don't dive if there is even a threat of lightning. If I ever saw a shark I would exit the water. IMO, this is just another meaningless (to me at least) statistical comparison. I don't want to be around lightning OR sharks.

 

[DevonDiver]

I read a report somewhere which illustrated that vending machines​ killed more people per year than sharks...

---------- Post Merged at 01:32 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:29 AM ----------

Here is a page that shows the calculated relative risks of shark attack versus other hazards:

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/attacks/relarisk.htm

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The op asks how many shark deaths. I would suggest the question be how many scuba divers attacked and/or killed by sharks. If you remove the surfers, swimmers, and other surface activity people from the stats, you will find that very rarely is a diver attacked, let alone killed, by a shark.
DivemasterDennis

 

[DevonDiver]

Disease and Accidental Causes of Deaths	Annual Deaths	Death Risk During One's Lifetime
Heart disease	652,486	1 in 5
Cancer	553,888	1 in 7
Stroke	150,074	1 in 24
Hospital Infections	99,000	1 in 38
Flu	59,664	1 in 63
Car accidents	44,757	1 in 84
Suicide	31,484	1 in 119
Accidental poisoning	19,456	1 in 193
MRSA (resistant bacteria)	19,000	1 in 197
Falls	17,229	1 in 218
Drowning	3,306	1 in 1,134
Bike accident	762	1 in 4,919
Air/space accident	742	1 in 5,051
Excessive cold	620	1 in 6,045
Sun/heat exposure	273	1 in 13,729
Lightning	47	1 in 79,746
Train crash	24	1 in 156,169
Fireworks	11	1 in 340,733
Shark attack	1	1 in 3,748,067

 

[AfterDark]

You'll notice that very few shark cases involve missing (aka eaten) limbs. Why are most surface shark attacks hit and runs? It's simply mistaken identity or curiosity. Sharks don't have hands, the only way to really investigate something is to put it in their mouth. It's exactly the same reason babies are always sticking things in their mouth, it's easier to tactile sense for them.

Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws realized his mistake in writing a horror novel on the great white and has spent a great deal of time and money trying to turn public opinion. Spielberg, likewise, regrets making the movie adaptation as well.

As long as it doesn't hit the femor artery! Some sharks are potentionly dangerous. Just like some bears, dogs,... Jimmy Carter got bit by a rabbit! Fear isn't the right word, until your in its mouth, I guess I do respect the damage some can do, doesn't matter it didn't mean it. Most drunk divers didn't mean it either. I am looking forward to returning to NC to dive with the sandies.

 

[DukeAMO]

FLMNH Ichthyology Department: The Relative Risk of Shark Attacks Maybe a comparison to hunting would be more apt. That's another thing that only a small percentage of people participate in, a small amount of the time.

[h=5]Shark Attack Fatalities Compared to Hunting Incident Fatalities
in the U.S. and Canada: 2000-2007[/h]

Year	Number of Hunting Incidents	Number of Hunting Fatalities	Number of Shark Attacks	Number of Shark Attack Fatalities
2000	926	91	53	1
2001	800	79	50	3
2002	850	89	47	0
2003	584	53	40	1
2004	445	42	30	1
2005	405	41	40	1
2006	246	27	39	0
2007	239	19	50	0
TOTALS	4,495	441	349	7

FATALITY RATE:	HUNTING INCIDENTS = 9.8%	SHARK ATTACKS = 2.0%

 

[Tigerman]

Ill be actively looking for sharks whenever I have a chance - however not on "chum dives".
Ive never seen more than 8 at once, I need more!

Atleast they where mature hammerheads and only 2-3 meters away from us