October 1st, 2019 | Kimo Kealoha | Discover the Deep

Sharks are Not Dangerous Killing Machines

I love sharks and I treasure every opportunity to dive with them. They are elegant, strong, and marvelous creatures. I love em.

And like many of you, I love to take pictures and shoot video them. And whenever people see these pictures and videos they say things like, "Man, you're crazy!" Or "I'd never do that!" Or "Weren't you afraid?" And then Kimo just sighs…

The propaganda against sharks has been so bad that it is just kind of a given now that everyone thinks that sharks are dangerous, man-eating, killers who will attack you in an instant.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sharks are not dangerous. And there is not need to be afraid of them as a diver. In fact, I can't think of one instance where a scuba diver was in clear water and they were attacked by a shark. Not even one. It just doesn't happen.

Sure, there have a few times where sharks have bitten people, but it was evidently for one simple reason—the shark thought they were food. So they took a bite. That was that. It was not an "attack." It was a taste. And when the shark realized that the surfer or swimmer or whoever was not tasty, and was not a seal or some other delicious meal, they left them alone.

The problem is that a shark is POWERFUL. So if one happens to bite somebody, the results are devastating. But it's no less devastating than the results if an elephant accidentally stepped on you. We wouldn't call that an "attack," now would we? But you could definitely die if an elephant accidentally stepped on you—or sat on you! But it's not an attack. It's an accident.

So if you don't want to get bit by a shark, follow the following basic rules:

1. Don't get in murky water where sharks are. Sharks have notoriously bad eyesight (but an incredibly keen sense of smell). So stay out of murky waters where sharks are because they can't see very well.

2. Get IN the water and not ON the water. Surfers and surface swimmers get bit because they look like seals or other tasty treats from below the surface. Especially in murky water. This is why accidents with scuba divers are so rare.

3. Don't mess with sharks. Don't provoke a powerful creature. Duh.

Now that all of that is out of the way, let me give you some basic statistics to share with your ignorant friends who think that sharks are dangerous—or who are afraid to go diving "because of the sharks."

11 Common Animals More Likely to Kill You than Sharks

Did you know that less than 6 people each year WORLDWIDE are killed by sharks? That is statistically irrelevant. Now every human life is valuable, but in terms of statistics that is so low it is almost irrelevant. But the thing is that those 6 times it happens—its front and center on every news station in the world. But someone will die on the way to the grocery store today in your city, and no one will hear about it.

And as for divers? Well those 6 people each year are not scuba divers. I still can't find one story anywhere at anytime where a scuba diver was diving in clear water and was bit by a shark. It just doesn't happen. So scuba divers are beyond safe.

Its only dangerous to be a scuba diver if you are around dogs. Or mosquitoes. Or deer. Or bees. Or ants or cows or horses. All of these creatures kill TONS of people every year.

• Mosquitoes kill over 655,000 people every year.
• Hippos kill over 2,900.
• Deer kill 130.
• Bees killed 478 people between 2008-2015.
• Dogs killed 272 in the same period. Dogs!
• Ants kill around 50 every year.
• Jellyfish kill dozens every year.
• Cows kill around 20 people every year in the US alone! Cows!
• Horses kill 20.
• Spiders kill about 6 in the US alone.
• Snakes also kill about 6.

So if you're not afraid of dogs, cows, horses, and deer—then quit whining about sharks. So now that we've got that out of the way, let me share with you two incredible statistics for everyone who is afraid of sharks:

1. Going to the Doctor is Statistically More Dangerous than Diving with Sharks

A recent report from John Hopkins University shows that 250,000 people per year are killed by accident from doctors and medical professionals. It's the 3rd leading cause of death in America behind Heart Disease and Cancer. So that's 250,000 deaths for doctors and 6 for sharks. Or 250,000 for doctors and 0 for sharks, if we're just talking about scuba diving (because sharks have never killed a scuba diver while diving under the water).

2. Selfies Are More Dangerous than Scuba Diving with Sharks

A new scientific study has concluded that taking selfies is 20 times more dangerous than swimming with sharks. In fact, between October 2011 and November 2017, there are at least 259 recorded incidents of deaths caused by selfies. That is 20 times more deaths each year than deaths by shark accidents.

So the bottom line is this—if you're not afraid to go to the doctor or you're not afraid to take selfies then you shouldn't be afraid to go diving with sharks!