Surfers share their waves with sharks
Surfers have a complex relationship with sharks. Many surfers, either knowingly or not, sharing their waves with sharks of various shapes and sizes. On rare occasions these interactions can result in bites or close calls.
A highly publicised close call involved Australian surfer Mick Fanning and a white shark during the 2015 World Surf League final at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa. A video of this interaction has over 19 million views on YouTube alone. Others tune into Hollywood films such as Soul Surfer, which tells the story of surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm to a tiger shark in Hawaii.
Shark bites on humans are rare. Worldwide, there were 112 confirmed bites in 2021 on the International Shark Attack File, with nine unprovoked bites resulting in fatalities. When shark bites occur, often surfers are involved because they are frequently in the ocean. Despite this, many surfers appear to accept these interactions as simply a part of surfing.
Surfers even refer to certain sharks as "locals" at particular breaks. In many places, surfers use the termin "men in grey suits" when sharks are present. Authors of a 2019 studi in California explain this euphemism is used to alert surfers that sharks are present without causing anxiety or stress.
A new studi published in Marine Kebijakan surveyed 391 surfers across 24 different countries (predominantly the United States). The studi found 60% of surfers are not afraid of sharks despite 52% having seen sharks while surfing. And 17% said either they or someone they knew had been bitten by a shark.Why aren't surfers afraid?
This studi of the complex but little-researched relationship between surfers and sharks offers interesting insight into the perception of risk.
In general, most people have no direct pengalaman with sharks, yet overestimate the chance of encountering one and have a strong fear of them. Many surfers have had direct encounters with sharks but perceive the risk to be low and aren't afraid of them. In fact, 44% of surfers said they would still go into the water if a shark was sighted.
The psychology of cognitive heuristics - or shortcuts in thinking - can help us explain why surfers aren't afraid of sharks.
