360 degree ‘visual vigilance’ underwater and an assertive mentality are perhaps the two most important habits to cultivate if you want top minimize the risk of being bitten by a shark while diving.

When I used to spearfish extensively, there was a popular belief amongst spearfisherman that it was not the shark that you saw that was the problem it was the one that you didn’t see. A shark is an ambush predator, and to see and engage a shark before it builds up sufficient courage to attack you  is key to minimizing the threat.

Further minimizing the risk is the adoption of an aggressor position on seeing the shark, a strategy which sends a clear message that you are not prey and that the shark should back off.

There are other contextual factors which one needs to take into account if your aim is to minimize the risk of a shark attack. Time of day appears to play a factor in recorded shark attacks on humans, with dusk and dawn regarded as the most dangerous times to being in the water with sharks, possible because the poor light makes it easier for the sharks to ambush prey. Dirty water is another key consideration - the dirtier the water the greater the likelihood of an attack, either through mistaken identity or increased ambush confidence or both.

Last updated on Jan 13, 2008 by Roger Horrocks