Originally published at: New York beach closed after 65-year-old woman suffers a shark bite | Boing Boing
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“People should always swim in groups. They shouldn’t swim too far from the shore, and they should particularly avoid bait fish,” Naylor told CNN last month.
I’m beginning to think I should stop wearing my favorite river sandals to the beach.
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Obligatory
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Florida New History Version would be, “Woman learns valuable lesson and a least not killed by shark bite.”
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This seems very unscientific. Why close the beach right when you know the shark is least hungry?
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A two-year study using drones in California found that there were great white sharks swimming close to swimmers and surfers about 97% of the time. Great whites and other sharks are also apparently frequent visitors to the waters around New York, especially now that water quality has improved.
We’ve known for a long time that shark attacks are rare; now that we know just how often we’re swimming close to sharks without even knowing it, we’re realizing that attacks are even more unusual than we thought. Generally, sharks just aren’t that into us.
It seems that the “attacks” that do occur are mostly the product of curiosity. Like toddlers, sharks have a tendency to put things in their mouths to see if they’re good to eat or not. Unlike toddlers, however, sharks have mouths full of razor-sharp teeth, so even if the shark decides – as most of them do – that you’re not yummy after all, the consequences of their experimental nibble can be more than a little damaging.
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A shark is probably one of the least dangerous things found at Rockaway Beach.
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You’re more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than a shark. (A lot more likely, like 100 times more)
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Shark bites are highly unusual at Rockaway Beach, and rare in general, “with only 57 unprovoked bites last year.”
To be sure that is 57 bites world-wide in 2022, not just at Rockaway Beach.
Sharks must be among the meekest and most peace-loving members of the animal kingdom when it comes to bothering humans. According to Statista, the deadliest animal worldwide by far is the mosquito (1,000,000 human deaths/year as of 2022), mainly because mosquitos transmit malaria and other potentially-deadly diseases. Mosquitos are followed by snakes (100,000), dogs (30,000, mostly through rabies), and freshwater snails (20,000). After dogs, the most deadly four-legged critters are crocodiles (8th place at 1,000), hippopotamuses and elephants (10th at 500 each) and lions (12th at 250). Sharks don’t even make the list.
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This is true. On the other hand, most New Yorkers can’t bite your whole leg off, and the risk of bleeding out when you’re bitten by a New Yorker is substantially smaller.
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Yeah, but the worst disease you can catch off of a shark is salmonella*. I don’t even want to think about what diseases you could catch from a New Yorker, let alone if they bit you.
*(Practically every animal can catch salmonella, it’s the one infection that crosses all species)
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Seriously, off-leash time in Prospect Park is MUCH more of a bite risk than the beach.
also obligs:
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Key word “most”.
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For context, there have been two fatal drownings at Rockaway Beach this summer alone.
Sharks have never been one of the greatest risks at any swimming beach.
I’m surprised mosquitos topped the list. I thought the top place would go to other humans.
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