Shark Week warnings as experts reveal 6 ways to reduce your risk of a shark bite

Shark sightings are communal each summertime from seashore to seashore — and though attacks are rare, they bash happen.

In August, shark enactment begins to ramp up arsenic they migrate and provender on the way, often bringing antithetic taxon adjacent to shore, according to experts.

Dr. Chris Lowe, prof of marine biology and manager of the Shark Lab astatine California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), confirmed determination has been an summation successful achromatic shark enactment truthful acold this year.

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"We expect by August, September oregon October to spot adjacent much sharks disconnected the Southern California coast," helium told Fox News Digital.

Even successful waters wherever sharks are often found, quality encounters seldom pb to bites, experts say. (iStock)

Wyatt Wernath, nationalist spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association and a retired water rescue main based successful Cocoa Beach, Florida, said they've seen emblematic numbers for this clip of year, though determination person been "a mates small nibbles" wherever radical were "bit connected the heels oregon the toes."

For those swimming oregon surfing successful the ocean, the experts shared the pursuing six tips to debar a unsafe shark encounter.

No. 1: Know earlier you go

Before visiting a caller beach, experts counsel locating lifeguards and checking for shark sightings, rip currents, jellyfish and different hazards.

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It's important to admit and recognize the emblem systems connected the formation that tin awesome definite conditions, Wernath noted. Red flags typically bespeak precocious hazard, yellowish flags mean heed caution and greenish flags mean debased hazard.

Red flags typically bespeak precocious hazard, yellowish flags mean heed caution and greenish flags mean debased hazard. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A purple oregon bluish emblem indicates the beingness of marine life. Combination reddish and bluish flags awesome hazardous marine life, specified arsenic a shark oregon unsafe jellyfish.

"If you tin hole yourself by knowing earlier you go, you’re going to person a overmuch safer and enjoyable abrogation oregon travel to the unfastened h2o wherever the sharks live," Wernath said.

No. 2: Avoid different carnal activity

Other suspicious carnal enactment successful the h2o — specified arsenic fish, birds and adjacent seals — could mean a shark is nearby.

"If you spot the h2o percolating connected the top, that's the food moving from the predators," Wernath said. "Don't spell successful the water, get retired of the water."

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"If you spot birds diving into the h2o and they're feeding benignant of erratically, don't spell into the water."

Lowe, who runs the California Shark Beach Safety Program, besides recommends avoiding dormant marine beingness that could pull sharks.

Other suspicious carnal enactment successful the h2o — specified arsenic fish, birds and adjacent seals — could mean a shark is nearby. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

"If you're retired connected your surfboard and a seal climbs connected your board, that seal isn't trying to enslaved with you. It's astir apt trying to get retired of the h2o due to the fact that it knows there's a large shark around," helium said.

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Avoid bait balls, which are dense schools of food targeted by predators, Lowe advised. If 1 forms beneath your surfboard, determination distant to debar an approaching shark.

No 3: Don't stray excessively acold from shore

While immoderate "toe nibblers" successful Florida person been known to onslaught successful the shoreline, deep-water predators airs a hazard arsenic well, the experts warned.

"They mightiness occasionally wound a person, but we don't truly cognize why."

California has astir 3 shark bites per twelvemonth and a fatality astir each 3rd year, according to Lowe — but numbers alteration arsenic the colonisation increases and much radical question retired offshore recreation.

"When radical commencement going retired into the unfastened water ... they whitethorn beryllium encountering shark taxon that haven't been astir radical before," helium said. "And therefore, you're a novelty."

Fishing contented creator Henry Gibbs was bitten by a grey reef shark portion spearfishing successful Fiji. (Getty Images)

Ocean spear sportfishing and kayak sportfishing are examples of "risky" excursions that person gained popularity successful the past fewer decades, Lowe noted.

"Not lone bash you person a bloody food connected the extremity of your spear, but you're retired astir sharks that mightiness not person been astir radical before," helium said. "So, we conscionable don't cognize however those sharks volition react."

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"If you're kayak sportfishing and you've got your legs successful the h2o and you’ve got a bloody fish, your limb could get mistaken by an excited shark trying to bargain your fish."

When diving oregon snorkeling, it’s important not to contiguous yourself "as prey," Wernath warned.

No. 4: Skip dawn and dusk swims; ne'er aquatics alone

Dawn and dusk are highest feeding times for galore sharks, expanding the hazard of encounters.

Because sharks tin mistake radical for prey, Lowe recommends avoiding murky h2o and shiny jewelry that tin mimic food scales.

Because sharks tin mistake radical for prey, experts urge avoiding murky h2o and shiny jewelry that tin mimic food scales. (iStock)

The chances of being bitten are statistically little erstwhile swimming successful a radical than alone, Lowe said — and if occupation arises, others are determination to help.

No. 5: React quickly

During a adjacent encounter, it's important to corroborate that the carnal is really a shark, arsenic dolphin and stingray fins tin look akin successful the water.

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Unlike dolphins and stingrays, which typically amusement a azygous fin earlier disappearing underwater, sharks often uncover some their dorsal and process fins.

"Tail fins volition beryllium moving much successful a sweeping motion," Wernath said. "It won't spell nether gradually similar a submarine. It won't arc similar a dolphin successful a rolling fashion."

In an aerial view, a juvenile achromatic shark swims successful the clear, shallow h2o of the Pacific Ocean disconnected the seashore of La Jolla connected Nov. 22, 2023, successful San Diego, California. (Getty Images)

If a shark is identified, springiness it abstraction and calmly exit the water.

"Don't splash, don't origin a commotion, which volition pull the shark, but conscionable get out," Lowe said. "If you're connected a surfboard oregon a boogie board, effort to propulsion yourself up onto it, and conscionable don't contiguous yourself arsenic prey."

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"If you spot the shark, ever support your eyes connected it," helium advised. "Follow it, way it, fto the shark cognize you spot it, crook your assemblage toward it."

"If the shark comes closer, you tin conscionable dilatory backmost up and support watching it. If you suffer way of it, the archetypal spot you should ever look is down you."

Unlike dolphins and stingrays, which typically amusement a azygous fin earlier disappearing underwater, sharks often uncover some their dorsal and process fins. (iStock)

A shark approaching from down is usually trying to analyse without being noticed. Once it realizes it has been spotted, however, "most of the time, the gig is up," Lowe said.

If it continues to approach, helium recommends giving it "a bully bop successful the nose" to discourage it from coming closer.

"If the shark gets truly close, I'm ever an advocator of striking retired astatine them. I deliberation humans request to fto sharks cognize that they're not expected to get adjacent to us," helium added.

No. 6: Respect the species

Experts accidental the cardinal to safely coexisting with sharks is respecting their situation and behaviour portion avoiding actions that could marque radical look to beryllium prey.

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"They're overmuch much intelligent than we springiness them recognition for," Wernath said, noting that they cautiously measure imaginable prey earlier attacking. "They’re hunters. They're going to look astir and marque definite they tin get to a prey without getting hurt."

The biggest misconception astir sharks is that if they’re nearby, they’re going to wound you, Lowe said, adding that probe proves this "simply isn't true."

CSULB Shark Lab researcher Dr. Ryan Logan spear tags a large achromatic shark disconnected Huntington Beach, California, connected Sunday, March 9, 2025. (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Although quality and shark populations person grown acknowledgment to conservation efforts, shark bites haven't accrued arsenic expected.

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"They mightiness occasionally wound a person, but we don't truly cognize why," Lowe went on. "We don't cognize if they're biting due to the fact that they mistake america arsenic nutrient ... [or] due to the fact that they consciousness we're a threat."

"Based connected our past six years of information utilizing drones, we spot achromatic sharks astir radical beauteous overmuch each day, and they look to mostly disregard people," helium added. "What that intelligibly tells maine is that humans are not connected immoderate shark's menu."