Shark attacks are rare, your chances of being struck by lightning are higher than a shark biting you. Still, there are shark attacks that have been recorded throughout history. Some attacks were so terrifying that shark attacks have got so much importance in people’s eyes despite the odds of an attack being so low. There have been many shark attacks but we’d discuss about 10 most terrifying shark encounters.
1. The New Jersey Shore Shark Attacks (5 Terrifying Attacks)
Back in 1916, multiple attacks were recorded in New Jersey. During the month of July, there were 5 terrifying shark attacks reported on the New Jersey shore out of which 4 casualties were reported. All of this happened during a 12 day time period. While beach goers were horrified, this sparked anger among other people and shark hunts began along the coast. A lot of experts debated on the type of shark that attacked, many experts believed it was a great white shark while others believed it to be a bull shark. These attacks later became an inspiration for the “Jaws” novel and Steven Spielberg took inspiration from that to create a masterpiece movie back in 1975.
2. The USS Indianapolis Sinking & Terrifying Shark Attacks
Ironically, USS Indianapolis sank in July 1946 in the Philippines ocean. It had close to 1200 people onboard, 300 people went down with the ship. 900 people survived with rafts and lifeboats. However, surviving was not going to be easy because there were huge numbers of Tiger Sharks and Oceanic Whitetip Sharks in the area. These sharks attacked many people and some of them fought them and some just couldn’t survive these terrifying shark attacks. USS Indianapolis sank on July 30th, 1946. A regular patrol saw some survivors on 2nd August, 1946 and only then the rescue mission began. But by then many people were gone while fighting dehydration and fighting sharks. It is believed that many people were eaten by sharks during these 2 days. Only 316 people survived after this tragic incident.
3. Sinking of RMS Nova Scotia & Terrifying WhiteTip Shark Attacks
The British ship RMS Nova Scotia had over 1050 people onboard and when it sank in 1942, it sank in an area where a lot of WhiteTip Sharks were roaming. People fought some sharks off but these sharks caused a large number of casualties. Some bodies were found with shark bite marks and only 192 people survived. These people survived by forming a group with their arms forming a chain, as sharks avoid attacking large groups so they didn’t attack these people. This shark attack was so brutal that it is recorded as one of the most terrifying shark attacks in history.
4. Sharm El Sheikh Terrifying Shark Attacks in Egypt
Back in December 2010, a great tourist attraction in Egypt, the resort city of Sharm El Sheikh got highlighted when some people were attacked by sharks swimming in the red sea. There were 3 Russians and 1 Ukrainian citizen that were attacked by WhiteTip Sharks. They lost heavy blood and sustained serious injuries by this horrifying shark attack. 4 days later, a german lady who was 71 years old lost her life in a terrifying shark attack in the same city. This affected the tourism in that area for a while. Indeed, these were one of the terrifying shark attacks in the recent past.
5. Man got 462 Stitches – Terrifying Great White Shark Attack
Rodney Fox was a part of spearfishing tournament in Australia back in 1963 when a great white shark attacked him from below, the shark bit him from his mid body and took him down, this damaged his ribs and diaphragm and punctured his lungs, somehow he got released and floated on the surface. This is when a great white shark came again, attacked on his arm, grabbed him from arm and took him down again. This time Fox attacked the eyes of the shark so it ran away and Fox came on the surface, he had massive bleeding and he was rushed to the hospital. In an emergency surgery he survived and got 462 stitches to close his wounds. Later, doctors described the survival of Fox as a miracle. Indeed, this was one of the most terrifying shark attacks on an individual in history.
6. Black December Terrifying Shark Attacks in South Africa
During 1957-1958, there were multiple attacks in South Africa along the coast. The attacks happened between Dec 1957 and April 1958. These shark attacks were so terrifying that it made beach goers and local authorities panic. 9 attacks were recorded and 8 were on people aged less than 30. A 16 year old’s leg was latched by a shark while he was surfing while another 23 years old lost both his arms while swimming. Other casualties were even brutal! After these terrifying shark attacks, the South African Navy dropped depth charges hoping to eliminate sharks nearby.
7. Reunion Island Terrifying Shark Attacks (2011–2019)
Reunion Island is located east of Madagascar and southwest of Mauritius. Its tropical waters attract a lot of tourists for water based activities such as surfing and swimming. From 2011-2019, a total of 24 brutal and terrifying shark attacks were recorded out of which 11 casualties were recorded. These attacks were so terrifying that it almost nullified the tourist’s water based activities. For many years, Reunion Island was considered as one of the most dangerous locations prone to terrifying shark attacks.
8. Recife Terrifying Shark Attacks (1992–Present)
Recife is a city in Brazil and its coastline has been declared by many shark scientists and researchers as probably the most dangerous in the world. Although now shark attacks have been reduced by 97% due to a government department agency working on moving sharks to other areas , this area is populated by sharks and the chances of a shark attack are still there. That’s why in some areas where sharks are in numbers, authorities have banned swimming there. Since 1992, there have been a total of 60 shark attacks in this region and out of which many have been fatal.
9. Pacific Coast Terrifying Shark Attacks (1984–1992)
Coasts of California and Oregon have seen numerous terrifying shark attacks from 1984 to 1992. Many of these attacks were fatal. Many surfers, divers and swimmers were attacked in these 2 regions. It is believed that these attacks were carried out mostly by the great white sharks. Because there are seals and sea lions near the shore, it is likely that these sharks were attracted near to the shores because of this. Omer Conger was someone who was struck twice by a shark and he got fatal injuries on 15th September, 1984. Multiple attacks were reported on Farallon Islands between 1989-1991.
10. The First EVER Recorded Shark Attack (1749)
This was the first ever recorded shark attack in history. Brook Watson was just 14 years old and he was working on a merchant ship docked at Havana, Cuba. One night, Watson decided to take a swim in warm waters not knowing what awaits him. When he was swimming, a great shadow appeared from beneath him and he realised it was a shark and tried to swim away but it was too late. The shark attacked him and took him under water, biting his feet off in the 2nd attempt from the bone and the muscle. Watson was bleeding heavily and the water turned red. Fortunately, his colleagues saw this and they were able to pull him out of the water. Thankfully, Watson’s life was saved and then he went on to become a successful businessman and a politician in Britain.
So, these were the 10 most horrifying shark attacks in history. Sharks attacks are terrifying and sometimes fatal, so you should avoid water based activities in those areas where shark attacks are often reported.
