Of the 400 or so species of sharks, about seventy are potentially dangerous to man and have at one point carried out an unprovoked attack of some kind on people. There is an average of 100 reported unprovoked shark attacks annually of which about only 20% result in deaths. The majority of the attacks are carried out against surfers and swimmers, not divers. Not a very high figure considering the number of people that flock to the beaches every year. In fact it is so rare that we will leave you to do the math for yourself.
Furthermore, most of the attacks take place in known trouble areas such as off the coast of Florida where an average of 30 attacks take place annually. More than 60% of the attacks take place off of the coasts of North America followed by Australia and South Africa. These of course are not accurate figures since there are surely many attacks that take place in other parts of the world but are not reported.
Why do sharks attack people ?
The truth is that nobody really knows for sure yet. We call them unpredictable and unprovoked, instead. The same shark can be seen swimming casually with swimmers without the slightest interest and suddenly they lunge at them. Then there are cases of sharks just taking a bite at someone and swimming away and other instances where the same species make a square meal out of someone else. People have been attacked in deep open waters as well as in the shallow depth of one meter of water. To confuse matters even more, sharks that are known to be the most dangerous have tolerated swimmers to the extreme when at the same time the ones thought of as most docile have occasionally taken a bite or two. The fact is that to this day we do not know enough about the shark and its mode of thinking to be able to determine that for certain. The very little that we do know about shark behavior does help us limit attracting their attention in a way that might instigate a possible attack. Sharks spend a big portion of their time looking for food. Most shark species have to do it from the minute they are born as motherhood ends for these creatures the minute birth or the laying of the eggs takes place. An easy meal is therefore always appreciated and sought. Splashing is an excellent indication that an easy meal is there for the taking. It indicates that there is a sick or wounded fish that is struggling for life. The more of that, the bigger the fish that is struggling and that inevitably generates more interest. Flashing is also quite a good way to attract a shark's attention. Lively colored swimsuits and flashy jewelry that reflects the sun only help you look more like a large colorful fish with shiny scales to the shark.These are both visual methods to attract the shark to you, the former being a hearing one as well.It usually occurs while you are swimming and when the shark is already in the vicinity. It is however the shark's sense of smell and its ability to detect electrical impulses that are his strongest points. Without a doubt, carrying dead fish that are bleeding will bring you to the attention of hungry sharks anywhere from two to twenty minutes. Spearfishing, which is strictly banned in Ras Mohamed, is therefore a guaranteed way to put you in harm's way.Another thing you should not do is to feed the fish while you are in the water. Such an activity will certainly collect around you many fish which will evidently spur the interest of sharks who will be there for the sole interest of feeding. You will be the biggest and slowest fish of them all when a hungry shark or sharks appear.
How, then do sharks attack ?
There are three types of attacks that have been classified. the first which is known as the Hit and Run attacks seem to happen most frequently. They usually occur in relatively shallow waters to swimmers or surfers and is usually a case of mistaken identity caused by splashing or flashing. Here you do not see the shark as it only bites to discover what you are and when you do not turn out to be a large injured fish, a sea turtle or a dolphin, it does not return. This attack generally results in a single bite or slash wound usually to the foot and lower leg.
Bump and Bite is a much more serious affair as this takes place after the shark has carried out a cold and hard initial assessment of the situation and decided to go on with the attack. Here you are bound to see the shark well in advance as it usually starts circling you first, appearing and disappearing. If for some reason you have not seen it at that stage, sharks often take this a step further by testing out how you feel. Many shark attack victims' accounts include being bumped hard from the back or beneath, a few seconds to a minute before they were actually attacked. These types of attacks result, inevitably, in greater injuries and more fatalities.
Sneak attacks are however the worst kind of them all as the shark has already determined that you are prey and in a true ambush style, has taken the effort to hide away from your sight.
The shark then appears from nowhere taking multiple bites at a time and then returns -frenzied with the smell of blood and the taste of flesh-for more. Very few have survived this kind of attack.
Which sharks are the most dangerous ?
In principle, all sharks that are as big as you are or bigger are potentially dangerous, with the exception of the suction feeders such as the whale sharks. However the ones you should keep a particular eye on while in Ras Mohamed are the great whites ( they are so rare here that you should count yourself lucky if you see one from a great distance), the oceanic whitetips, all hammerheads, and the tiger sharks. The most dangerous shark of all, in our opinion, is the Bull shark which lurks around river mouths and has been held responsible for many, many attacks on people. We are not aware that any of this species has ever been seen around Ras Mohamed.
How can one prevent an attack ?
Preventing shark attacks on swimmers and divers has been on the minds of many people for a long time and many shark repellents have been developed. This was especially necessary during the second world war when many downed pilots and shipwrecked sailors were eaten alive before the very eyes of their horrified mates. The American navy thus created a division at the time to develop such a repellent, which if anything, attracted sharks instead of repelling them. It relied on the release of a strong odor release which blackened the water for a short while. There have been many other similar products such as bangsticks which should literally blow off the head of the shark that attacks you. There is also the remarkably effective but simple shark billy which is just a stick that you hit the shark with on the head if it comes too close. The most important thing to remember is that you should always be in a large group in waters where there are sharks. A group is less likely to be attacked then a solitary swimmer or diver. Your biggest problem is being attacked before you see your attacker. For this reason, it is always wise to keep the reef walls at Ras Mohamed very close to your back. Any good group leader would quickly ask you to do just that after he or she gives the universal shark sign, the hand over the head in the shape of a dorsal fin.
Another thing you should keep into consideration is that many sharks are particularly active from sunset until sunrise. This is when they feed the most and are most likely to be closest to the reefs as well as at the shore. The almost inactive reef sharks that you encounter during your day dives assume a completely different frame of mind when it is time for dinner. A last thing to ponder on is that you should take very good care when you encounter a pod of dolphins in open water. Dolphins constitute a main part of the larger sharks' diet around here and they follow them very closely. Swimming with these dolphins should therefore be done with this in mind.
If you find yourself in open water without protection with a shark that is about to do a bump and bite routine on you while getting getting closer and closer, the most important thing is that you should get out of the water immediately. If you happen to be on a drift dive and your boat is some distant away then there are some things that you can do which might help you gain some control of the situation if the shark gets too close. Go for the eyes. Hit as hard as you can and chances are that you will not see this shark ever again. We have heard other interesting but bizarre ways to deter sharks including swaying gently so as to pass as soft coral, taking the initiative and biting the shark on the snout, and, putting your rubber flippers in its mouth so that it thinks you are not edible!
So what about the shark attacks at Ras Mohamed ?
Surprisingly, with the number of sharks that are found at Ras Mohamed and the number of divers, snorkellers, and swimmers here, there are almost no attacks here at all. Maybe the sharks got used to the divers but it is mostly to do with the fact that sensible interraction on behalf of the divers based on mutual respect is what makes this place a perfectly safe place to dive and enjoy this beautiful creature. There was this one incident which took place on Tuesday the 23rd of July, 1996. It was 6 p.m. in the evening, when the divers on the Israeli-owned dive boat, Jadran, observed a pod of dolphins at the mouth of Marsa Bereika 1 km from shore, as they were heading north from Ras Mohamed to Sharm-el-Sheikh. The Israeli owner of the boat, Dani Hermon, decided to stop and urged the divers to have a swim with these dolphins. It was obvious that he was a novice to the marine world as it should have been clear to him that all conditions where clearly against doing such a thing: Sunset, open sea, dolphins, and shark intensive waters. In any event he himself and two British divers, Harry Hayward, and Martin Christopher Richardson were the only ones that decided to go for the swim. Hermon and and Hayward swam for a few minutes leaving Martin Richardson behind with the dolphins. The dolphins started swimming away when the shark, an oceanic whitetip struck. Richardson was bitten a few times and jolted up in the air until the pod of dolphins returned, surrounded him and flapped their fins against the surface in a protective manner which chased the shark away. Martin Richardson had sustained deep bites on the back, shoulder, and chest which resulted in a broken rib and a punctured lung. He was immediately taken to Sharm-el-Sheikh where he was given first aid and transported to a military hospital in El Tor, the capital city of South Sinai. There he underwent some critical surgery and has now fully recovered to tell his tale. Another unfortunate incident took place a year later on the 14th of August. This time it was 150 meters off the shore of Safaga, further south on the mainland's Red Sea Coast. The shark, probably a great white or another oceanic whitetip, attacked a small fishing boat which capsized throwing both the fishermen on it into the water. 16-year-old fisherman Ayman Abul Hassan was killed as a result of the attack that ensued while the fisherman, 17-year-old Nagah Attallah El-Sayed was severely bitten but was rescued in time to survive.
That is it. In the last 100 years, these are the only recorded attacks that took place in the Egyptian Red Sea. There have also been only three shark attacks that took place directly off the coast of Eilat in the last 60 years: a female German swimmer in the 70's, a female British swimmer and an Israeli navy diver in the 80's. Considering the number of sharks and people in these waters, it is safe to say that our sharks are not very much into munching on humans.
Finally you should be aware that most people consider themselves very lucky when they do see a shark and with the kind of stastics mentioned here, it is much easier to win the lottery than to get bitten by a shark. So go out there and enjoy your diving and swimming without out any fear,but just be a bit sensible.
