How can anyone dare to swim in the ocean/sea-facing beaches with the shark risk?

Upvote:6

Chance to die of heart disease? 1 in 6
Chance to die of cancer? 1 in 7
Chance to die of suicide? 1 in 86
Chance to die of an opioid overdose? 1 in 98
Chance to die in a vehicle crash? 1 in 103
Chance to die of a gun assault? 1 in 298
Chance to die as a motorcyclist? 1 in 890
Chance to die of drowning? 1 in 1,121
Chance to die of a dog attack? 1 in 118,776
Chance to die in a plane crash? 1 in 11 million
Chance to be bitten by a shark? 1 in 11.5 million
Chance to be killed by a shark? 1 in 264.1 million

This won't help with your fear, especially if it is really a full-blown phobia, but as you can see, you are more likely to die of many other things than a shark. Taking a car to the airport is way more likely to kill you than flying in the plane to take you to a tropical island, which is way more likely than being bitten by a shark, let alone killed.

It's all perspective. Just be careful and only swim at beaches with trained lifeguards.

(As a motorcyclist I found that statistic interesting, especially compared to cars.)

Upvote:7

There are around 82 reported unprovoked shark attacks anywhere in the world in a typical year, and last year it was a low of 64. Of those 64, only two were fatal. The chances of encountering a shark at the beach are quite low, and the vast vast majority of shark encounters are harmless. Compare this to the uncountable number of people who swim in the ocean every year over the entire world. Compare this to the risks of drowning or driving to the beach or any number of activities people undertake all the time. The actual risk is so minuscule that it's not ordinarily significant in many people's minds.

But fear is not always rational, and it's clear that the risk plays an outsized role in your mind no matter what it may be mathematically. There are a variety of methods of shark attack prevention and tips you can follow to reduce your risk (I will note that with 30 seconds of research, some of the advice given here doesn't not appear to have scientific evidence in support. One part of this site says "In fact, there is no positive evidence that menstruation is a factor in shark attacks" while another says "enter with caution if menstruating"). Therapists can assist in providing strategies to help overcome phobias.

There's also nothing that says that anyone has to swim in the ocean. If the thought of doing so stresses you out greatly for any reason, you can have a great time staying on the beach or stick to wading near the shore.

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