Your Odds Of Dying In A Shark Attack (And Other Accidental Death Stats)
by Mike Richard
I plan on diving as much as humanly possible while I’m away. Sometimes I even like to sit on my couch and play Scuba Steve in full dive gear while staring longingly at reruns of Globe Trekker: Sri Lanka & the Maldives.
But I digress …
Many travelers harbor irrational fears that affect their journeys and the risks they take. For travelers with a penchant for diving, many fear sharks. In our dive class, our instructors and divemasters underscored how unlikely it is that we’d ever be the victim of a shark attack.
Feeling a bit curious today, I decided to find out just how unlikely. Finding worldwide shark attack statistics was easy, however the only comprehensive list of “cause of death” stats I could find was from 2003 and specific to the United States. No matter though because the comparison only reinforces what our instructors told us.
To put things in perspective, I’ve compared fatal shark attacks worldwide to other, what I would consider, rather bizarre ways to die. In increasing order of likelihood:
| Cause of Death | Total Number |
|---|---|
| Shark Attack | 4 (out of 57 total attacks) |
| Contact with hot tap-water | 26 |
| Lightning | 47 |
| Contact with hornets, wasps and bees | 66 |
| Intentional self-poisoning | 5,462 |
“Contact with hot tap-water”? So I’m more likely to be, not just maimed, but actually killed by my hot water faucet at home than dying in a shark attack?
I think it’s fair to say that death by shark is a bit of an irrational fear, no?
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Related topics: Diving
About the Author
Vagabondish editor, Mike Richard, lives in Rhode Island - a spit of land in the northeastern U.S. He is a professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, camping, hiking and seeing the world. He enjoys knit hats, small, declarative sentences and speaking in the third person.
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August 15th, 2007
Great post! Irrational fears can control your life if you let them. Way to put things in perspective!
August 16th, 2007
it’s funny, after 9/11 sharks seem to have stopped attacking people, at least as far as the news media is concerned. for the whole summer that year it seemed as though the beaches were just giant all-you-can-eat-buffets for sharks.
August 16th, 2007
I would be much more interested in the percentages than the actual numbers
if everyone had access to hot water everyday, then 26/6,000,000,000 isn’t a whole lot – and then you would have to multiply the number by the amount of times during the day you came in contact.
I know it’s stupid to think people die from hot water (it really is) but I’m just putting this out there
February 19th, 2008
that would be the scariens thing in the world if i was him i would jumped into the sharks mouth love yayayayay
March 7th, 2008
scary but at least i would have a stry to tell!if you are agreeing with me say “i”
March 19th, 2008
but the percentage of people that swin in the sea is low. The percentage of attacks compared with the numbers that regularly swin in shark infested waters would be a more interesting statistic
April 1st, 2008
i’m not fully convinced because the rest of the deaths are all land based, shark attacks are in the ocean & yeah i’m too tired too write anything else
May 2nd, 2008
So you’re saying there’s a chance…
May 3rd, 2008
did he die man i would poo my pants if that was me
September 15th, 2008
irrational fear ? well .. yes and no .. you are more likely to be killed by hot tap water, yeah.. but your chances of coming into contact with hot tap water are far greater than ever meeting a shark.
I’d say your chances would increase ( at least above the tap water threshold ) the more time you spend in the ocean. ( and especially if it were New Smyrna Beach in FL )
June 23rd, 2009
Bullshit. People died from sharks everyday. The attacks are not reported around here because if “they arn’t americans, why should we care”.
Don’t go in the ocean. And if you do, don’t be surprised if you get a leg torn off.
July 27th, 2009
Yeah, but if the shark gets you, it sure is a much uglier and excruciating way to die in my opinion.
July 27th, 2009
oh and btw, is that a real photo?
July 28th, 2009
And I really hope that contact with hot water thing is a joke or what richard’s thinks is a joke bacause fucking with sharks isn’t. Hey mike who speaks in the third person, please go diving as much as humanly possible as you put it. the more you are in the ocean, the better chance you might get to see what real fear is. Because we don’t want that bad little water faucet to take you out. What a bitch way to die. “Well Scuba Steve over here was doing dishes and he wasn’t paying attention and the hot water got him.” Fucking loser.
July 28th, 2009
@Michael: I’ll stick to believing the above linked stats from the Florida Museum of Natural History over your unfounded liberal hysteria that “non-American” shark deaths are simply unreported.
@Loz: So true, so true. It’s certainly a horrific way to go. But a rare one nonetheless.
@Michael#2: Been diving, been in the ocean. Swam with sharks. And the fear *is* irrational. If it bothers you, don’t dive/swim.
July 28th, 2009
@Loz: Oh, and yes the photo is real … but it’s actually a dolphin, not a shark. =)
July 29th, 2009
damn mike, out of all of people that have been leaving comments since August of 2007, Loz and I are the first people you felt like you need to type back to, in less than 24 hours. OK Richard, I understand that sharks are non-violent, But I wouldn’t take my chances swimming around in there habitiat because of the simple fact that they might turn on you. And you can’t say that it will not happen, Because even according to your “stats” 4 out of 57 died. The fact is still 57 got attack. I am not talking about death totals, I am talking about being in the water and getting bit. That beats out hot water contact and lighting Strikes. I was fucking around on the first comment buddy. Don’t you have some outdoor adventure to go on, then come back and leave some post about how “the chances of drowning in the bathroom sink are greater then getting attack by a bear.”
November 23rd, 2009
[...] 26 died from contact with hot water (o_O). 5,462 died of intentional self poisoning. (Source: Vagabondish also photo [...]
November 24th, 2009
[...] 26 died from contact with hot water (o_O). 5,462 died of intentional self poisoning. (Source: Vagabondish also photo [...]