The risk of injury, let alone death, while diving with sharks is incredibly low.
In contrast, more common leisure activities such as biking, swimming and boating result in a significant number of injuries and fatalities each year. In the US alone, the risk of death by drowning is approximately 3,000 times greater than being bitten by a shark, and the number of fatalities from boating accidents is more than 300 times greater. The comparatively low risk posed by diving with sharks is far outweighed by the reward. It enables people to develop a healthy respect and passion for a critical role player in the health of our oceans that is majestic, yet misunderstood.
In terms of relative risks, in California [the U. S. state with the second highest incidence of shark attacks in the country], there is only one shark attack for every one million surfing days, according to the Surfrider Foundation. Your chances of drowning when entering the water in the US are 1 in 3.5 million while your chance of being attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million.
Media sensationalism has perpetuated an irrational fear that sharks are ruthless killing machines. The reality is that people just are not a natural or desired source of food for sharks. In the rare case of a shark bite, most sharks will typically bite once, realize that we are not a source of food, and leave. The even rarer fatality is usually due to loss of blood after that exploratory bite. Given the advanced predatory skills of sharks, if humans were perceived as food, there would be a far greater number of shark attacks. Even with millions of people annually using the ocean for recreation, the average number of shark related deaths is less than 10.
Save Our Seas recently posted some good information about white sharks and why they may bite. The first and most commonly accepted explanation is that they are accidental, exploratory bites – a case of mistaken identity. Secondly, sharks, who don’t have hands, use their mouths to investigate objects they are innately curious about. Finally, it is believed that certain types of sharks defend their personal space by communicating through body posturing and biting.
Remember – sharks are large wild animals. Stepping into their habitat has some risks. With the proper safety protocols, a high level of diving experience, and guidance from reputable dive operations, the risk is small when compared to the reward of an up-close encounter with one of the great co-inhabitants of our earth.