After drama in Egypt – how to protect ourselves from a shark attack

Fortunately, shark attacks on humans are relatively rare. And according to current figures, humans are definitely the bigger threat to sharks than vice versa. But it is also certain that any tip is very welcome when encountering the sea predator. Unfortunately, as reported, an Austrian woman did not survive a confrontation in Egypt.

Inform yourself about this before your holiday
An interactive lecture on this subject will therefore also take place in the Haus des Meeres in mid-August. Andy Dellios of the “SharkSchool” describes breathtaking experiences with the hunters of the sea and provides valuable background knowledge about the shark species with well-researched explanations. Of course, there are also tips for behaving correctly during encounters. But in mid-August there were probably already many Viennese holidaymakers and given the recent incidents in Egypt you should know more about that now.

So what to do in the event of a shark attack?

• Important: keep calm! No panic reactions, such as hectic swimming movements.

• Don’t swim away screaming and writhing – this is how prey behave and you become interesting to the shark.

• Keep an eye on the animal or make eye contact. If possible of course.

• If the shark gets too close, be careful not to hit it. If the shark is extremely close, push the animal away. Touch only above the snout or to the side before or after the gill slits.

• Do not swim in areas where sharks are lured by fish, nor where there are fishermen, fishermen or liveaboard boats dumping kitchen waste into the sea.

Austria fifth largest importer of shark fillet
Although no sharks live in local waters, the Austrians seem to like the predators. According to the WWF, Austria is the fifth largest importer of fresh shark fillets in the world. Austria also contributes to the exploitation of the 1,200 known shark and ray species, 36 percent of which are in danger of extinction.