An unprovoked shark attack on a military diver that took place in February 2009 off the Australian coast in Sydney Harbor gave new impetus to the discussion, which must be as old as diving itself: what is the scope of the danger that marine sharks represent for divers and what are the chances of survival if they attack you? The 31-year-old diver lost his arm after being unexpectedly attacked from below by an unidentified species of shark, but managed to survive after a short battle with the predator that the brave, though seriously injured, had finally chased away.

The accident came as an absolute surprise to everyone, even if Sydney Harbor is known for the presence of the four dangerous shark species responsible for the vast majority of human-led shark attacks around the world. But if you take an unbiased look at the Australian archive of shark attacks kept from the year 1792 by the Taronga Zoo, you can find that the total of reported shark attacks on humans in Sydney Harbor has only outnumbered 30 occurrences in more than two centuries. Most of those attacks took place before the 1940s, while the last fatality occurred this Australian summer, 46 years after the previous one in Sydney Harbor in 1963.

Until now, statistically at least, Australian marine waters were not included in the list of the most dangerous marine places in the world with an extremely high probability of shark attacks on humans, compared to other destinations around the world. Such places traditionally included the California and Florida regions of North America, and oceanic locations along the entire coast of southern Africa. Recently, the situation seems to have changed. Wildlife officials explain that the rise in sewage offshore has encouraged some of the smaller marine animals to come closer to shore, and sharks that feed on them have followed suit as well.

Recreational divers should know this: Sydney Harbor is divided into an inner estuarine region and an outer ocean region. If you dive in the inland area of ​​the estuary at popular dive sites where shark nets are installed, your chances of being attacked by a shark remain truly zero.

Many people from all countries come to dive in Australia, whose marine life deserves to travel long distances to have a chance to be seen and explored. I do not mean to discourage you by adding unnecessary concerns that could fuel speculation that recreational diving becomes dangerous at known Sydney Harbor dive sites. Diving in Australia is an unforgettable experience, and the diversity of marine life is fantastic, and it wouldn’t be half as great without … sharks. I just wish the community is more aware of some shark attack prevention and self defense principles to keep in mind and never forget if you find yourself diving deeper off shore and closer to shark habitats in general.

Sharks, as you might guess, love deep waters, and it is there that they spend most of their time swimming and searching for a prayer. It is from below that they attack their chosen target, so a diver must pay special attention to what happens below him. In the accident described at the beginning of this article, the diver was also attacked while swimming on the surface. A hunting shark relies on excellent smell, taste, and hearing, rather than sight, because not all sharks see very well.

When it is clear that the shark is attacking you and that the attack is unavoidable, the diver should immediately prepare to counter it as follows:

• Begin to descend, without losing sight of the attacker;
• Point the flow of air bubbles from your scuba gear in the direction of the approaching predator;
• Scream as loud as you can; The shark is likely to realize that it has mistaken you for a large fish or a dolphin and stop attacking. In reality, humans are not the favorite food of sharks;
• If they failed to scare you away, hit the shark’s head with a piece of your equipment or accessory such as a camera;

But best of all, if you are a recreational diver, always dive in a group and never dive in little known places without the proper instructions from a local guide, or better guided by a divemaster.

And finally, as gruesome as the description of every shark accident may sound, generally the chances of being attacked by a shark while diving are infinitely less than the chance of being hit by a car while walking down the street. So don’t let the occasional reports of shark attacks lead you to the idea of ​​stopping diving. If every 1000th street accident had half the coverage of the media, we would all stop walking.