What to do About Sharks

From the first days of seafaring man, the shark has been dreaded as a killer. The dread was based more on hearsay than actual experience. Few men had ever been attacked by them; fewer still lived to tell the tale. Advice on what to do in the presence of a lurking shark was flatly contradictory: one school held that the swimmer should hold still and keep quiet; the other said churn wildly and shout. During World War II thousands of seamen and downed airmen came within reach of the shark's sinister jaws. With air traffic over open water becoming heavier every day, the U.S. Air University painstakingly collected the reports of survivors, has issued a manual called Airmen Against the Sea. Included is an elaborately documented and knowledgeable report on the shark's way with a man in the water. Only 38 of the 2,500 survivors examined mentioned actual contact with sharks. But the figure is misleading: "When sharks are successful," notes the report, "they leave no evidence."

Old Myths & New Facts. The survivors' testimony dispelled some old myths and produced some curious new facts. A shark is not shy. It does not have to turn on its back to attack. It does not attempt to swallow a man whole, but nips out steak-sized chunks. For some reason, perhaps the sharpness of the teeth, a victim scarcely feels the bite. A naval officer who spent twelve hours in the waters off Guadalcanal remembered feeling "a scratching, tickling sensation" in his left foot. "Slightly startled, I held it up. It was gushing blood. I peered into the water. Not ten feet away was the glistening, brown back of a great fish." The shark returned. When the officer kicked and thrashed, it sometimes veered away. On other passes it took a piece of the officer's left hand, then of his left arm. Soon his big toe was dangling; a piece of his right heel was gone; his left calf was torn. At this moment, the officer sighted a passing ship. In his frantic efforts to attract attention, he did not notice that the shark was chewing on his thigh.

Even on life rafts, castaways were not wholly safe. Sharks sometimes bumped against the raft's frail bottom, knocking the occupants three or four inches into the air. Wrote one survivor: "Late in the afternoon, a shark about four feet long struck at the raft and, going right over my shoulder, slid into the raft. It took a bite out of C. One of the men and myself caught the shark by the tail and pulled him out of the raft. C. became delirious and died about four hours later."

Useful Hints. The report is not enthusiastic about the shark repellents that are included in airmen's survival outfits.

Sometimes they were effective, sometimes not. It warns airmen who carry "shark knives" not to expect much from them. Large sharks are almost invulnerable to such weapons.

"Swimmers," the report advises, "should retain all clothing, particularly their shoes. The evidence shows that among groups of men, the partly unclad are attacked first, and usually in the feet ... As aimless splashing will attract sharks, swimming motions should be smooth and easy. Slow, coordinated strokes that keep the swimmer riding horizontally on the surface where he offers a difficult target are the safest."

But once a swimmer has spotted a shark, he should:

P: Conserve strength by keeping up just enough commotion to keep the attacker at bay. "Time is on the shark's side." P: Try shouting under water. P: Release shark repellent if available. P: Kick and thrash. If possible, hit the shark on the snout, eyes or gills. Men on rafts, though relatively safe, should try to avoid attracting a shark's attention. The report's advice: P: Keep still and quiet. P: Do not jettison blood, vomit or refuse from freshly killed birds or fish. P: Keep hands, legs, feet, clothing and equipment inside the raft. P: Conduct all burials as soon as possible; if sharks are numerous, wait for night.

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