NAT GEO REPORT: Shark Attack Risk Is Down Sharply Since 1950
By Brian Clark Howard, National Geographic // August 24, 2017
1 in 738 million chance of being bitten by great white
ABOVE VIDEO: National Geographic story highlights real factors behind rise in reported attacks and offers safety tips. (National Geographic video)
A National Geographic story highlights real factors behind rise in reported attacks and offers safety tips.
Although the overall number of reported shark attacks around the world has gone up, a person’s individual risk of being bitten by a shark has plummeted, according to a new study.
Researchers from Stanford University found that the chance a person in California who goes into the ocean will be bitten by a great white shark fell 91 percent from 1950 to 2013.
The Stanford team compared shark bite records with data on human use of the ocean in California, and calculated that an ocean swimmer there in 2013 had only a one in 738 million chance of being bitten by a great white.
Surfers, the most likely to be bitten, had a one in 17 million chance. Scuba divers had a one in 136 million chance.
CLICK HERE to read the story on NationalGeographic.com>>>
(IMAGE BY DAVID DOUBILET, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE)
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