Why you should, shouldn’t fear sharks …

Thinking about going to the sea for a holiday?

If you are a lover of the open water and do come across the intimidating predator called a shark, there is obviously reason to fear them. But don’t be too afraid as it seems one is more likely to die from a falling coconut than from a shark attack.

Do, however, not underestimate them.

Here is why you should and shouldn’t fear sharks (source: www.factslides.com):

• Sharks kill 11 people per year while people kill over 11 000 Sharks per hour;

• Whale sharks can live up to 100 years;

• Sharks have an astounding sense of smell, so powerful that they can detect a single drop of blood in an olympic-sized swimming pool. An Olympic-sized swimming pool is 50 metres long and 25 metres wide;

• Sharks will sink if they stop swimming;

• You are more likely to die from a falling coconut than from a shark attack;

• Sharks can be introverts or extroverts;

• As soon as Tiger Shark embryos develop teeth, they attack and eat each other in the womb;

• Signs that circling shark will attack – It will hunch its back, lower its pectoral fins and swim in zig zag motions;

• The shortfin mako shark, which is found all around the world, can accelerate faster than a porsche;

• Great white sharks can go for months without eating;

• Sharks can grow a new set of teeth in just eight days;

• Playing dead will help you survive a shark attack, Mythbusters confirmed. Mythbusters is a television program where myths and urban legends are put to the test to determine which are true and which are not.

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