SHARKS AND THE JERSEY SHORE: 8 PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE TO SWIM SAFELY THIS SUMMER!
IT’S THE PROVERBIAL ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM – OR SHOULD I SAY SHARK…
Ocean City New Jersey vacationers love Ocean city, and especially it’s beaches and rolling surf. I wade into the water every year, with no cares, but always lurking in the back of my mind…what IF?
What IF a shark, even a GREAT WHITE shark is hovering a foot below the surface off shore? What IF it comes toward me? What IF.
I make sure I don’t go past the “drop off” point when wading into the cool water. Just to “be sure”. Definitely between the Lifeguard flags, they watch for gray fins, right.
Here I’m going to take a practical look at the subject no one wants to think about, and give you 8 PRECAUTIONS you can follow, to have a safer summer and enjoy the ocean!
FIRST, ACCEPT THAT IT IS THEIR HOME, YOU ARE THE VISITOR
Humans forget that WE are the visitors in nature. Just because we have “conquered” our environment, we will never be the apex in certain food chains. The ocean is one of them. We need sharks, they are THE APEX PREDATOR of the ocean. Without them, the entire ocean environment, ecosystem, and food chain collapses. But this isn’t a Shark “science” piece.
No discussion about sharks on the Jersey Shore can be made without first acknowledging the awful attacks of July 1916.
DREADED SUMMER OF 1916
In the summer of 1916, the son of a successful businessman decided to take a relaxing evening swim to cool off. Charles Vansant, a fit 25-year-old man, entered the ocean, and enjoyed his cooling paddle alone free from stress. It was July 1st, and the beach was Beach Haven N.J. (51 miles north of Ocean City on Long Beach Island). Without any notice he was attacked with ferocious speed, and a shark took a bite out of its unsuspecting victim.
A lifeguard pulled him out of the water, but sadly it was too late, he bled to death. Five days later, in the blue expanse off of Spring Lake (77 miles north of Ocean City) a young Bellhop named Charles Bruder met the same fate.
It didn’t end there. An apparent “rogue” Great White shark traveled 30 miles north of Spring Lake and into Matawan Creek. Poor little Lester Stillwell, 11 years old, happily playing with five friends, were swimming off of the Wyckoff Dock. He was snatched and taken under water by the gray ghost. His body wasn’t recovered until two days later.
A 24-year-old local Businessman, Stanley Fisher lost his life bravely trying to save Lester, who also perished with horrific shark attack wounds.
Just 30 minutes later, Joseph Dunn, scrambling out of the creek, also got bitten, but luckily survived.
A firestorm of media hype, public hysteria followed and wanna be shark hunters invaded the Jersey area intending to kill the monster. Eventually a shark was caught nearby. According to the newspapers of the time, it yielded body parts of two of the victims from Matawan Creek.
The shark itself was put on display in somebody’s shop in New York and the owner, who charged per head to see it.
Debated forever, the rogue shark of 1916 reportedly inspired the blockbuster and iconic book and movie JAWS. Regardless, it was a unique and terrible tale.
And there was no coroner’s report to prove the human remains part. All we can do is believe what was said in the press at the time. The press identified it as a white shark.
ROGUE SHARK THEORY
Many theories abound about WHY the shark attacks occurred. I’m not here to cover every theory in detail. The most interesting one to me is the “Rogue” theory. The Great White could have been a shark that was either injured or had some sort of deformity. Hence the desire to kill. Many creatures in pain, have attacked humans in response.
This would be highly unusual for a shark. This theory was popular especially in the 50’s as a result of a researcher in Australia who pushed it.
Eventually interest waned and the general feeling is that shark attacks are one-off kind of events.
And they are. The whole collection of rare and isolated 1916 events, coupled with the book and movie JAWS, embedded itself in the collective fear of a nation, unnecessarily. Why? Read on.
JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACKS ARE VERY RARE AND HARDLY EVER FATAL
In 2023”Penny,” a 10 foot long, 523lb Great White tagged and tracked by the nonprofit marine research group OCEARCH, pinged Penny surfacing just off of 17th street beach in OCNJ.
Along with tagging the sharks, OCEARCH takes biological samples, such as blood and tissue, from the sharks before releasing them into the wild. The group says it uses that data to understand things such as genetics, infections in sharks and to develop antibiotics to treat shark bites.
With Penny spotted close to the shore, a beach goer remarked, I’ll skip a day going into the ocean…my thoughts are I’m going to stay right in this chair…Its’s all good, we can share.”
According to an article from that same year, “Shark attacks do happen. They’re among the calculated risks of taking a dip in the ocean, which is synonymous with summer in coastal states. But these creatures don’t attack humans often, and when they do, the resulting injuries are hardly ever fatal.”
The author goes on to say, “In New Jersey, four shark attacks have been recorded since 1962, according to the company’s interactive map and Patch reporting. None of them were fatal…The most recent case of a shark injuring someone was May 21 off the Jersey Shore at Stone Harbor, when a Pennsylvania teen was bitten by a shark. First-time surfer Maggie Drozdowski told NBC10 Philadelphia she “felt something pressing.”
She concludes that, “Galeophobia — the fear of sharks — is real. But the chances you’ll be attacked by a shark in New Jersey, or most other coastal states, are almost nil.”
SHARK AWARENESS – 8 PRACTICAL PRECAUTIONS FOR YOUR JERSEY SHORE VACATION
Florida Museum should know one or two things about sharks. According to them, “Sharks occasionally do bite humans, but most bites are feeding events. Sharks sometimes grab humans by mistake. Other times a bite may protect a shark’s space, much as a dog barks at and bites intruders.”
They go on to reassure, “The yearly average of unprovoked shark bites on humans GLOBALLY is 70, resulting in about 5 deaths. These worldwide numbers are small given the millions of humans that enter the water.”
Florida Museum database indicates that the number of Confirmed Unprovoked Shark Attacks in New Jersey sits at 16 in 188 years (1837-Present).
Like anything though, proper precaution is essential. You are in their home, and you need to know their house rules.
Here are 8 PRECAUTIONS You can take to stay safe in the water this summer.
PRECAUTION # 1 NEVER SWIM ALONE
Sharks are much more likely to approach a solitary swimmer.
PRECAUTION # 2 DON’T GO TOO FAR OUT!
The further out, the more isolated and hidden from help if needed.
A study released in 2021, partially authored by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy found that Great White sharks spend about 47% of their time “at depths of less than 15 feet and frequently traveled further out.
The study also concluded that, “Most attacks by sharks on people take place in shallow waters under 10 foot, of which more than half are under 5 foot of water…they can alternate between the surf zone and deeper offshore waters.” So, the less distance out you swim, the better.
PRECAUTION # 3 AVOID DROP OFFS
Like I mentioned earlier, stay close to the shore and definitely DON’T swim past the “drop off”. If you can’t touch feet to bottom, you could be risking trouble. These are proven favorite areas for sharks to cruise.
PRECAUTION # 4 DO NOT SWIM AT SUNSET OR SUNRISE (LOW LIGHT HOURS)!
This is the granddaddy of precautions! Low light time-frames are hunting and eating times for sharks. Poor Charles Vansant and Charles Bruder, swam in low light hours in 1916, were unaware and paid the ultimate price.
PRECAUTION # 5 BODY FLUID AWARENESS
Sharks have never been shown to be attracted to the smell of human blood, however, if you are menstruating, or have a wound, best practice to stay out of the water.
According to research, “Any bodily fluid released into the water is likely detectable by sharks.
A shark’s sense of smell is powerful – it allows them to find prey from hundreds of yards away. Menstrual blood in the water could be detected by a shark, just like any urine or other bodily fluids.
However, there is no positive evidence that menstruation is a factor in shark bites. Additionally, evidence suggests when swimming the water pressure will temporarily stop the flow of menstrual blood decreasing the chances any blood is released into the water.
BTW…DOES URINE ATTRACT SHARKS?
They can detect it, but it doesn’t have the excitement effect of blood or rotting fish. According to a National Geographic study, “Researchers found that urine seeping out of a bottle did little to attract sharks compared to another person without a bottle of urine.” So yes, it’s relatively safe to pee in the ocean.
According to safewater.AI, “Findings suggest that while sharks can detect human urine, it does not necessarily excite them the same way as the scent of blood or decaying fish would. The lack of specific amino acids and other attractive compounds in urine means that while sharks can smell it, they are unlikely to associate it with food. Therefore, while pee might attract sharks to some extent due to their sensitive noses, it does not provide a compelling food signal that would lead to an attack.”
PRECAUTION # 6 NO UNUSUALLY BRIGHT SWIMWEAR OR OBJECTS
Anything shiny like jewelry mimics certain fish scales, best not worn. Avoid bright-colored and/or high contrasting clothing, sharks see contrast very well.
PRECAUTION # 7 STAY AWAY FROM FISHING AREAS, OR BIRD SWARMS ABOVE WATER
Dead fish bait attracts sharks. Bad area to be. Also, when feeding, sharks can push fish remains up to the surface, where swarms of birds gather and compete for the floating remains, a key indicator that a predator may be at work below the surface.
PRECAUTION # 8 EXCESSIVE SPLASHING
Sharks hear the low-frequency sounds from splashing and may investigate thinking there is a fish/prey in distress. Unfortunately, at a crowded beach edge this will be out of your control. However, the crashing surf of the swimming area, at water’s edge, can lessen the clarity of splashing. In addition, the Lifeguard’s are trained to scan those waters and will pull everyone out if necessary.
STOP WORRYING, USE CAUTION, ENJOY YOURSELF!!
In 40 years of visiting OCNJ, I remember only 2 instances Lifeguard’s pulled everyone from the water as a precaution from alleged shark sightings. I have NEVER witnessed tan actual attack.
In July 2019, Crowds at 10 Ocean City beaches were called out of the water because of “marine life scares.”
An Ocean City beach patrol lieutenant told Fox 29, “That can mean sightings of sharks, skate, bluefish or even dolphins if they swim too close to shore.”
In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard flies along the shore periodically in helicopters close to the beach. They look and would report any sharks too close to shore.
And finally, remember, according to the International Shark Attack File, the chances of being attacked by a shark is about 1 in 11.5 million.
YOU LITERALLY HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF DYING FROM A BEE STING, SNAKE BITE, OR DOG BITE, OR BEING STUCK BY LIGHTENING THAN GETTING BITTEN BY A SHARK.
So, read, become knowledgeable, heed my advice and precautions, and DON’T WORRY OR OVERTHINK THIS.
Get in the water! Body surf! cool off! Enjoy the beautiful ocean.
You have one life to live. So be aware and Live it!
See you at the next Roll Call.
Shift dismissed!
SOURCES/CITATIONS
- https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/sharks/how-to-avoid-shark-attacks
- https://www.fox29.com/news/possible-great-white-shark-sighting-off-atlantic-city
- https://a-z-animals.com/animals/great-white-shark/facts/largest-great-white-sharks-new-jersey
- https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/penny-great-white-shark-ocean-city-new-jersey-ocearch
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-shark-attacks-that-were-the-inspiration-for-jaws-15220260
- https://patch.com/new-jersey/across-nj/shark-attacks-nj-how-common-are-they-shore
- https://www.app.com/story/news/local/animals/2023/05/29/ocearch-tagged-great-white-shark-penny-jersey-shore/70266372007