You're more likely to drown at a beach than be killed by a shark. But there are things people can do to reduce the already low risk even further.
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Articles on White sharks
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Media coverage of sharks often exaggerates risks to people, but more than 500 shark species have never been known to attack humans, and there's lots to learn about them.
Some media have reported shark numbers at 'plague proportions' in Australian waters. But a new analysis suggests the opposite: species such as hammerheads and white sharks have plummeted in number.
If sharks habitats aren't known, it's harder to conserve either the animals or those habitats.
How many shark encounters have there been at your local beach? Explore our interactive map to see 20 years of incidents between humans and sharks in coastal waters around Australia.
Fatal shark bites are very rare. But the stats do suggest that the likelihood of an attack proving fatal is higher in Australia - probably because our waters are home to the "big three" dangerous species.
As the Discovery Channel and National Geographic Wild unleash a week of dueling shark programs, a biologist advises viewers to take what they see with a large grain of sea salt.
Sharks can't sneeze like we do, but they can do other cool tricks -- like making their stomach stick out of their mouth to get rid of unwanted stuff.
Shark nets are controversial, which is why the New South Wales government is investigating a host of other ways to keep humans and sharks apart – some more tried and tested than others.
If you do see a shark this summer, don't panic – you just got lucky.
South Africa’s white shark population faced a rapid decline in the last generation. More concerning is that their numbers might already be too low to ensure their survival.
Independent tests show that a wearable electric deterrent called a Shark Shield does indeed seem to live up to its name.
The best way to guard against shark attacks is to study them, not kill them. Because while the alleged "shark boom" almost certainly not real, the more we know about sharks, the better.
Despite low shark attack numbers, many people are afraid of being bitten. There are, however, ways to steer clear of these creatures.
South African sharks have low levels of genetic diversity. This could pose a threat to their survival as a species.
More research may not necessarily prove to be the answer to shark attacks. Instead, we should look at programs that are already working, such as aerial patrols.
Calls are growing louder for a shark cull in New South Wales. But like in Western Australia, which infamously experimented with culling last year, a NSW cull would harm sharks while failing to protect people.
A rash of white shark attacks this summer points to a rebounding population in the US – a sign of healthier oceans and the need to coexist with this apex predator.
Although frightening, the footage of Mick Fanning at Jeffreys Bay is a reminder that sharks are present in the oceans, and that the vast majority of interactions between people and sharks end without fatality or injury.
When I used to tell people that I did my PhD on the politics of shark attacks, they would ask, “Is there a politics to shark attacks?” Nobody asks that any more. Now they just say, “Oh, like in Western…
Top contributors
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Professor & Director, Marine Futures Lab, University of Western Australia
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Lecturer in Public Policy, University of Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Geography, University of Wollongong
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Associate Professor in Marine Fisheries Ecology, Macquarie University
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Shark biologist, University of Western Australia
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Director, Florida Program for Shark Research and Coordinator of Museum Operations, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
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Marine Biologist, South African National Parks (SANParks); Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity
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Postdoctoral Researcher in management and conservation of white sharks, Stellenbosch University
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Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University
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Lecturer in Geography and Planning, University of New England
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Senior Lecturer, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University
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Senior Research Fellow, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton
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Winthrop Professor/WA Premier's Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences and the Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia
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Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Western Australia
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PhD graduate, University of Southampton
