Adult Skin Problems Slideshow Pictures Gallery of Skin Problems and Image Collection

Medical Author:

Eric Mowatt-Larssen, MD

Coauthor:

Paul Auerbach, MD

Coauthor:

George Burgess, MSc

Medical Editor:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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Prevention

• Avoid the shark's favored hunting grounds. Sharks frequent drop-offs from shallow to deep water, troughs between submerged sand bars, and deep channels.

• Avoid the water if bleeding. Menstrual blood has not been shown to increase the risk of shark attack, but a shark in the vicinity can likely sense the blood.

• Avoid wearing or carrying shiny objects, such as jewelry or brightly contrasting colors.

• Spear fishing, fishing, and chumming the water will likely attract sharks.

• Erratic swimming or splashing at the surface may cause a shark to mistake a person for its natural prey.

• Beware especially of any shark greater than 2 meters, or about 6 feet, in length.

• Agitated swimming movements by a shark, particularly if accompanied by a raised snout, lowered pectoral fins, and hump-backed posture, may indicate aggressiveness.

• Avoid swimming at dawn, dusk, and nighttime hours when many sharks actively feed.

• Swim in a group because sharks are more likely to attack if a person is isolated and alone.