It’s the most wonderful time of the year: “Shark Week.”
That annual stretch when Americans collectively gather around their TV sets to learn everything there is to know about the ocean’s apex predators and to ask ourselves why we are dumb enough to swim in the ocean in the first place.
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But lucky for those of us who don’t want to end up the subject of a future “Shark Week” documentary, wildlife biologist, conservationist and TV host Forrest Galante has some simple advice.
Galante recently joined OutKick Outdoors to talk about shark attacks, shark behavior and his upcoming Discovery special, “Alien Sharks: Untamed America.” And while he stressed that the chances of having a negative shark encounter are already extremely slim, he said beachgoers can make those odds even better by using some common sense.
“You know, the best thing you can do is educate yourself,” Galante said. “Think about where you’re going. Learn what the species are.”
If you are looking for some blanket rules before your next beach trip, Galante offered a few.
“Don’t go in the water at dawn or dusk,” Galante said.
Sharks are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. That is when they are more likely to be feeding closer to shore, which is also exactly where people tend to be splashing around during summer vacation.
“Don’t swim near river mouths,” Galante said. “That’s when sharks are feeding.”
River mouths can attract baitfish and other food sources, which can also attract sharks. If there is a place where sharks are naturally more likely to congregate, that is probably not the spot to float around with a drink in your hand and your guard down.
“Don’t go swimming by yourself,” Galante said.
This is one of those tips that applies to pretty much every outdoor activity. Hiking alone, boating alone, swimming alone — all of it adds risk.
And Galante said there is another simple clue beachgoers should pay attention to.
“If you see no one on the beach, that’s usually not a good place to go swimming,” he said.
“On the flip side of that, don’t go swimming where people are fishing and throwing bait in the water and things like that,” Galante said.
This one should be obvious, but apparently we need to say it anyway. If people are actively tossing shark food into the water, you can probably bet sharks will be there, too.
Sharks are not hunting humans, but they are curious predators. And sometimes, something as simple as a flash of light can get their attention.
“Wearing something highly shiny, like jewelry or sequins or anything with those little mirrors that put out light, can look like a school of bait fish,” Galante said.
That matters because, according to Galante, shark attacks on humans are usually because the shark thinks you’re something else.
“They say that something like 99% of shark bites are a case of mistaken identity,” he said. “You see a flash from a sparkly bit of jewelry or something, and the shark goes, ‘Oh wow, is that food?’ Unfortunately, when a shark asks the question, ‘Is that food?’ they do so by taking an investigative bite.”
FORREST GALANTE SAYS MOST SHARK BITES ARE A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY AS FLORIDA ATTACKS LEAD THE US
And that is where things can go very wrong.
“They don’t have hands,” Galante said. “They can’t feel it, so that investigative bite can be very, very damaging and, in some cases, fatal.”
This is the one that might surprise people. According to Galante, even certain sounds can draw a shark’s attention.
“The crackling of a water bottle, or even the crunching of a beer can, sounds a lot like the crunching of fish bones to a shark, and it can make them come and investigate,” he said.
Galante made it clear that most sharks are not looking for humans as prey.
“Most of the time, we’re not even on the menu,” Galante said. “They’re just trying to figure out if we are.”
So no matter what horrors you see on your TV screen this week, there is no need to cancel your beach trip.
“Just taking a few very simple precautions can greatly reduce your already very slim chance of having a negative encounter,” Galante said.
Galante’s Shark Week special, “Alien Sharks: Untamed America,” premieres Wednesday on Discovery and Max. The special follows him across the United States in search of some of the strangest and least-known shark species living in American waters — including glow-in-the-dark swell sharks, seagrass-eating bonnethead sharks, massive basking sharks and sawfish that look like something out of Star Wars .
“We have some of the coolest, the largest, the smallest, the weirdest and the most bizarre and incredible sharks right here in the United States,” Galante said.
Which is cool.
Just maybe don’t go looking for them at dusk while wearing sequins and crushing a beer can.
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