SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED
D ave Pearson didn’t notice the shark rushing toward him until it was too late. He was paddling through the lineup at Crowdy Head, on Australia’s New South Wales coast, on March 23, 2011. The swell was pumping, and only Pearson and a few friends were out, trading overhead point waves. Just as Pearson was about to take a stroke with his right arm, a 10-foot bull shark charged at him from below, jaws agape. The shark missed Pearson’s arm, sinking its teeth into his board instead. As the shark tried to shake free, it struck Pearson in the head with its nose, fracturing several of his vertebrae. After releasing the board, the shark then latched onto Pearson’s left arm, filleting muscle and tendon from the bone. Seconds later, the shark released Pearson, and his friends paddled over to drag him to shore. Once on the beach, he nearly died from blood loss and shock, his life saved only by the quick response of his friends and rescue personnel who rushed him to a hospital.
The incident was one of nearly a dozen unprovoked attacks in Australia in 2011 (unprovoked meaning that the victim wasn’t harassing a shark in closed quarters). There were almost 80 such attacks worldwide in 2011, including 13 fatalities. Those numbers were more or less consistent with the annual averages of the preceding decade, and they continued on a similar pace for the next few years. But in 2015, there was a dramatic spike—sharks attacked 98 people across the globe, the highest number ever recorded (numbers for 2016 are still being collected). That statistic is part of a troubling pattern of gradually increasing shark attacks worldwide.
Shark researchers are starting to think that attacks on surfers may be defensive in nature. You think you’re harmlessly sitting there waiting for a set, and a passing shark thinks it’s encroaching on your personal space.
In addition to attacks, reports of shark sightings have skyrocketed in recent years. You’re not imagining things if it seems like every time you visit a surf website, you’re confronted with a photo of a shark cruising beneath a Southern California pier, or POV footage of a SUPer fending off a VW-sized great white with a plastic oar. Not since release in 1975 has there been so headline in June 2016. “Expert Warns 2016 Could See a Record Number of Shark Attacks,” said the . “Shark Researchers Warning of More Attacks Along Australian Coastline,” reported in September. “It’s Not Just You: Shark Attacks Are Definitely on the Rise,” said in July.
