Four fatal shark attacks in 2006

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Title – Four fatal shark attacks in 2006
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 15th July 2007

At Beyond The Blue our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop examines the facts and not the myths. This approach allows you to make decisions on your safety based on sound judgement rather then at the whim of a Hollywood movie that still haunts the average swimmer in the worlds shark infested seas, 30 years after it was first released.

For many people the fear of sharks keeps them permanently out of the water, for some it keeps them from enjoying some of the worlds wonders like the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast or surfing in California.

The facts are simple though with the 100’s of millions of people all over the world heading into the sea for a swim each year, only 4 people worldwide are killed by sharks. In actual fact the danger of getting to the water front (crossing the road, being attacked by another human or even buying a soft drink from a vending machine) is statistically more dangerous then sharks and the risks are substantially higher then sharing water with the so called “killer” sharks.

We have firsthand experience of diving with sharks, we have ourselves sought out some of the so called most dangerous sharks and watched them go into a feeding frenzy. This may seem to some to be insane, but the shark is a beautiful creature, there is no doubt that they are potentially life threatening, but most human encounters with sharks have one of two result; the first is a thrill to those who are privileged enough to witness a shark in it’s natural environment and admire evolution at its best; the second is the disgraceful habit of over fishing it, especially the practise of fining that kills millions of sharks each year, simply to harvest the fins before throwing the rest of the (often still alive) shark back into the water.

The issue of sharks is a simple one, understand your destination, seek local advice, avoid high risk areas where it is actually dangerous to swim due to the number and species of shark present and when an area is 'safe' enjoy the water. Remember sharks really do have a lot more to fear from humans then humans have from them.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com