More and more people are posting footage of themselves touching sharks or even riding them. This is, of course, a terrible idea.
Recent incidents of shark bites
There have been a number of recent incidents in which people taking footage of themselves swimming and diving with sharks have been bitten. Some “finfluencers” don’t seem to agree, posting footage of themselves touching sharks and even riding them. One 2020 study showed “a consistent theme of ‘pushy’ behaviour” by photographers and influencers on swim-with-wildlife tours: they were the most likely to ignore safety instructions.
Rare but increasing attacks
Unprovoked shark attacks remain exceptionally rare. The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (which claims to be the world’s only scientifically documented database of known shark attacks) catalogued 65 last year, but the organisation told the BBC it had seen an increase in the past three years of people being attacked while trying to capture footage.
Stress on sharks
Content creators getting too close is bad news for sharks, basically. Close contact with humans causes them to release stress hormones that can weaken their immune systems and may even increase the chance of death. Yes, the sharks may be feeling threatened. Research published last year on sharks in French Polynesia found around 5% of recorded bites appeared to be a result of self-defence because of close human contact. “These bites are simply a manifestation of survival instinct, and the responsibility for the incident needs to be reversed,” said the study lead, Dr Eric Clua.
A simple fix
It’s definitely not humanity’s finest hour. There’s an easy fix: don’t take shark selfies. “You wouldn’t walk into the Serengeti and put your hand on the face of a lion,” as the shark scientist Kristian Parton told the BBC.
