What to Do When a Shark Attacks

Scott Konger: My name is Scott Konger and I'm the owner of the Tarpon Springs Aquarium. Now we're going to talk about what to do in the event of a shark attack.

If you get attacked by a shark, of course, you want to exit the water as quickly as possible. That is their domain and once they injure you, of course, you're going to be bleeding and that's going to -- even though they may initially strike out of a mistake, thinking you're a fish, and once you're injured and you're bleeding and they sense that there is a easy prey, that you might be that easy prey, then they would, potentially, possibly, come back and try to finish you off more or less.

So once you realize there is a shark in the water, you've been attacked, you want to try to get out of the water as quickly as possible. Once you exit the water and you asses that how seriously you've been injured, you may need to apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding or even if necessary, tourniquet to stop the bleeding and then you need to get medical attention as soon as possible.

Like all animals, sharks do carry a lot of bacteria in their teeth. That can lead to infection. So it's a good idea even if you get just a small nick on the hand or something from any type of animal bite including sharks, you probably should see a doctor and maybe get some antibiotic to prevent an infection.

One other thing in regards to being attacked by sharks, I have found in my experience that when sharks are swimming about checking you out, if you can offer some kind of defense, even if it's simply kicking out at them or punching on the nose as they come up there, they will respect that. Usually, that would be enough sometimes to keep them away from you at least for a period of time where you get an opportunity to get out of the water.