SHARK WEEK

SHARK WEEK

It’s now July 11th and the time for discovery which means watching many of the TV channels, spearheaded by the Discovery Channel, to take part in the annual event celebrating Shark Week. If you didn’t know, Shark Week is an annual week-long TV programming block created by Tom Golden at the Discovery Channel, which features shark-based programming. Shark Week originally premiered on July 17, 1988, and has been celebrated every year from its’ original airing.

My goal was to look at everything shark-related from the suspenseful shark movies, the history of sharks, and the shark attacks in the waters of the various coastlines of the world. I got my wish when the programming opened with shark attacks that displayed the ferocious tenacity of a shark when they want to feed. Note, the likelihood you'll have a close encounter with a shark is about 1 in 11.5 million, according to the International Shark Attack File. In fact, you're more likely to be injured in a boating accident or bike wreck than you are in a shark attack. However, my primary interest is always drawn to sharks attacking humans.

The first story was about a shark attack in Australia where a Surfer lived to tell his story, after a vicious attack by a great white shark. On Vivonne Bay the southern part of Kangaroo Island, west of where the surfer’s attack took place; there have been eight fatal shark attacks this year. Australia is in the midst of a deadly year for shark attacks. These eight fatalities this year, is the most in nearly a century.

A 29-year-old man came face-to-face with the shark while surfing in D’Estrees Bay, on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The surfer sustained serious lacerations to his back, backside, legs, and minor lacerations to his arm. The shark actually took chunks out of the surfer’s back and thigh, as well as his surfboard, leaving the man with serious injuries, said a paramedic who treated the man before he was taken to a hospital.

The surfer, mauled by the great white shark in remote waters, was able to paddle ashore still holding his board. The stars aligned for the man because he managed to walk about 1,000 feet along the beach to a parking lot, where he finally found help from another surfer. There were several bystanders who witnessed this amazing feat including an off-duty paramedic and a full crew of air ambulance officers. The surfer he found, was driving toward a nearby hospital and ended up meeting the ambulance on the way.

It was reported, the paramedic who treated the man said the surfer was very brave, noting that with the extent of his injuries being catastrophic, his ability to walk away from the attack was quite remarkable. He also said, he suffered serious life-threatening injuries and was very lucky to be alive. The surfer was coherent throughout the treatment and maintained conversations with him and the other paramedics. After receiving medical treatment at a hospital on the island, the surfer was then airlifted to Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, on the mainland.

While recovering from emergency surgery in his hospital bed, the surfer wrote a statement thanking emergency medical workers and saying that he felt incredibly lucky and grateful. He wrote in a letter, “I was sitting on my board when I felt a hit on my left side. It was like being hit by a truck. It bit me around my back, buttock, and elbow, and took a chunk out of my board. I got a glimpse of the shark as it let go and disappeared.”

The waters around South Australia have five species of sharks that are considered potentially dangerous, according to the area’s Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Regions. The DPI has logged 33 shark sightings since the beginning of the year.

It was reported, the attack from the great white shark, the world’s largest predatory fish, and one of the shark species most associated with unprovoked assaults on humans, was the first on Kangaroo Island in 15 years.

That story was followed by another man killed in a shark attack while surfing off another coast in Australia. A surfer died after he was mauled by a 4.5-meter great white shark off Tuncurry Beach on the New South Wales (NSW) mid-north coast. It’s the second confirmed shark attack in Australian waters this year with the report of the other shark attack on a surfer at D’Estrees Bay, on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. However, there was also the belief of another man being killed by a shark off the coast in South Australia in January.

Emergency Services were called to the beach, just north of Forster, approximately 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday morning to Tuncurry Beach in NSW to reports of a man suffering from injuries sustained in a suspected shark attack, according to the NSW Police.

The victim, a man believed to be in his 50’s, suffered critical injuries to his upper right thigh during the incident. Bystanders, including a retired paramedic, did a valiant job pulling the patient from the water and commencing CPR before paramedics arrived on the scene. The NSW Ambulance inspector praised the bystanders who entered the water to bring the injured man to shore despite the risk. A member of the NSW Ambulance tweeted about the incident and said that “despite the best efforts of a paramedic and bystanders pulling the surfer from the water and commencing CPR, the man could not be resuscitated and he died at the scene.”

A report, regarding the attack, was filed by the NSW Police Department. Tuncurry Beach, Forster Main Beach, Blackhead beach to One Mile beach were closed by the police for at least 24 hours, after positively identifying it was indeed a shark attack. The Department of Primary Industries deployed smart drumlines. ‘SMART’ stands for Shark-Management-Alert-In-RealTime. SMART drumlines consist of an anchor, two buoys, and a satellite-linked GPS communications unit attached to a hook baited with one sea mullet. Drones were also deployed in the area, as the DPI and police search for the shark.

As I watch these stories, I could not prevent myself from reminiscing about a special surfer, I met when I was on vacation in Hawaii. I met this interesting guy on a beach in Maui. He said his name was Jol Bolger which translates to “water waves” using Indian and Norwegian origin. He said his parents were surfers and pot-heads. At birth, they had aspirations for me to surf beaches all over the world; thus, I was given my name. Nevertheless, he said I could call him JB.

JB was a first-class stoner He smoked marijuana every chance presented to him which means he was constantly high as a kite. But there was something special about him. When anyone had a conversation with him, he would voluntarily share some of his most profound thoughts. He said he owed his profound wisdom to the essences of the marijuana plant opening his mind to any and all things.

Stoned or not, JB was a great surfer and truly lived the surfer’s life carefree; fully embracing life and what it has to offer without stressing over material wealth. One day he decided to share his wisdom on sharks. It was a perfect day if there is such a thing. The sky was painted blue and the water on the beach matched its’ hue. The white sand could be seen for miles and surfboards were abundant with plenty of surfers enjoying the huge waves, dressed in bright multicolored one-piece suits with matching boards. Evidently, there was a store on the island that had a sale on one-piece swimsuits and boards. I was walking towards JB after he exited the water carrying his colorful board under his arm. He waved at me to follow him to a set of lounge chairs. We sat down in the chairs and he gave me a look. This was a sign that he had something on his mind he wanted to share. I was eager to hear what was on his mind today.

“When people visit Hawaii, they’re probably going to spend some time in the water. Hawaii has 40 shark species, about eight of which are somewhat common near the shore. Of these, the whitetip reef shark, the blacktip reef shark, the sandbar shark, and the scalloped hammerhead shark are the most common. However, the Tigers are considered the most dangerous sharks in Hawaiian waters,” said JB.

“Sharks are on your mind?”

“Yes. To be specific, shark attacks. White sharks, are considered to be the most dangerous but are rarely seen in Hawaii. Tiger sharks are also very dangerous and are the species most frequently implicated in attacks on humans in Hawaii. Although shark attacks are extremely rare, the few that do occur are often widely publicized by the media.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Tiger sharks are present in Hawaiian waters all year long. It's just the late summer and fall months that seem to be the peak in attacks, yet there are very few attacks. Do you know why I mostly surf Maui?

“Great waves?”

“That’s one reason. However, Maui is considered to be the deadliest island in Hawaii for shark attacks. Scientists say it's not a coincidence that Maui sees more shark attacks. The greatest danger to Maui is the ocean environment itself. Maui has fertile waters for sharks; the more people the more opportunity to feed.”

“Why place yourself in danger?”

“That fact is, I’m not placing myself in danger.”

“You just said, Maui is considered the deadliest island for shark attacks.”

“I did.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Look around. What do you see?”

“I see lots of surfers having a good time.”

“That’s right and none of them have a fear of sharks on the deadliest island.”

“Why?”

“Clothing is consistent with shark attacks.”

“Clothing?”

“Yes. Clothing plays a major role in shark attacks.”

“Clothing?”

“Let me explain. Sharks mostly come in shades of gray, and it’s likely that they only see that way as well. With that knowledge, I can protect surfers and swimmers. I discovered in 2011, researchers from the University of Western Australia found, out of 17 shark species tested, ten had no color-sensing cells in their eyes, while seven only had one type. This means sharks hunt by looking for patterns of black, white, and grey rather than noticing any brilliant colors. To protect swimmers, whose bodies often look like a tasty seal from below, the researchers tested wetsuits that were striped in color-blocked disruptive patterns. One suit alerts sharks that they aren’t looking at their next meal, another camouflages swimmers and surfers in the water.”

“Is that why everyone is wearing the multicolored one-piece suits?”

“Yes.”

“I thought there was a sale at a store on the island.”

“The multicolored suits are made of patterns known as razzle-dazzle or disruptive camouflage. It consists of irregular patterns in contrasting colors, which breaks up the outline of an animal or object and makes it difficult for an observer to judge speed and direction; the observer, in this case, is a shark.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Just think of stationary zebras merging into a confusing mass.”

“I have noticed that on the Discovery Channel but, didn’t give a thought of it being practical.”

“Animals use camouflage to help them eat and avoid being eaten. Military Services have long mimicked natural camouflage techniques in hunting and warfare, including the paint on some ships. Recently, camouflage techniques have been applied to fashion, architecture, and industrial design. Most people who visit beaches are lacking the knowledge that camouflage in water is effective against sharks.”

Was he correct? I don’t know. What I do know, when I hear of a shark attack or while experiencing Shark week, it will always remind me of JB. There should be an announcement; anyone entering the water on a beach needs to be wearing razzle-dazzle on their body.