Why I am Not Going to Be Eaten by a Shark

Recently someone asked me “What’s the worst way you could think of to die?”  My Answer:  To be eaten

I don’t want to be eaten, not by anything.  Living in Florida and sometimes swimming at the beach, one of the ways I could be exposed to this threat would be from a shark…

So just how likely are you to be eaten or killed by a shark attack?

Not Very Likely

Put another way, more Americans were killed by collapsing sinkholes (16) than sharks (11) between 1990 and 2006, and more by tornadoes (125) than sharks (6) in Florida between 1985 and 2010. (And for all you “Sharknado” fans, those were shark-free tornadoes.)

How Many Attacks Are There?

Over the past five years (2006-2010), an average of 4.2 fatal shark attacks have taken place each year world-wide. Between 2006 and 2010, a total of 179 shark attacks occurred in the U.S., resulting in three fatalities.

Where Do U.S. Attacks Occur?

In the past five years, shark attacks have occurred in eight states. The majority of attacks occurred in Florida, but attacks are possible in any of the U.S. coastal states.

U.S. Shark Attacks from 2006 – 2010

True Risk of Attack:

Considering that more than 200 million people visit U.S. beaches each year, the number of shark attacks is relatively small. Of those millions of beach goers each year, about 36 are attacked by sharks, while more than 30,000 need to be rescued from surfing accidents.

There are lots of other more common ways to die:

Final Verdict

I’m probably not going to be eaten by a shark

via Shark attacks are uncommon but not unheard of – The Washington Post.

http://oceana.org/en/our-work/protect-marine-wildlife/sharks/learn-act/shark-attack-statistics