Is It Safe To Swim With Great White Sharks?

great white sharks

Did you ever wonder if was safe to swim with great white sharks? We have all seen films with great white sharks attacking people and then there are the tourist ads about scuba diving with great white sharks in places like South Africa. So is it safe to swim with great white sharks?

No, it is not safe to swim with great white sharks. They are one of the world’s top predators and are naturally dangerous. Great white sharks have the honor of being the shark that has caused the most fatal human attacks.

In today’s post, we will go through in more detail is it safe to swim with great white sharks, so let’s get started!

Read more on common questions asked by divers

Is It Safe To Swim With Great White Sharks?

No, it is not safe to swim with great white sharks. They are one of the world’s top predators and are naturally dangerous. Great white sharks have the honor of the shark that has caused the most fatal human attacks. 

You should remember that if you are swimming or scuba diving with great white sharks, you are in the shark backyard and everything is fair game.

Can You Swim With Sharks With A Cage?

Yes, the metal cage helps to provide protection to the diver who is inside the cage. This is used to protect the divers if the sharks suddenly decide to attack. This is commonly used when diving with great white sharks.

face to shark

Do Great White Sharks Always Attack Humans?

No, great white shark attacks are reasonably rare but great whites are generally still out in the open water where their food supply is. They hold the record for most fatal attacks on humans. These attacks on humans are often a result of mistaken identity.

Which Shark Killed The Most Humans?

There are over 500 species of sharks but there are only a small few that are very aggressive and have no problem attacking a human. These sharks account for most human fatalities. The top 3 are as follows.

  1. Great White Shark.
  2. Tiger Sharks.
  3. Bull Sharks.

Are Great White Sharks Endangered?

Yes, the great white sharks have a status of vulnerability. This is because of the overfishing of the Great White and countries are starting to ban fishing of great white sharks.

What Do You Do If You Encounter A Shark While Scuba Diving?

If you encounter a shark while diving there are tips that will help to make it a smooth encounter.

Stay Calm​

Sharks are naturally curious, they sometimes come in to see what divers are doing and then leave. It’s actually a rare opportunity to see one.

If you spot a shark and it stays in an area. Just remain alert and slowly move out of the area, as close to the bottom.

Maintain Your Distance

Most sharks have no interest in divers and want nothing to do with divers. Sharks like the leopard sharks and horn sharks lie on the bottom of the sea and can be closely approached.

Divers that mess with sharks like touching, grabbing, or harassing a shark are often bitten. This is more a defensive action not aggressive. Simply, respect them and they will respect you.

Lemon shark

Swim Towards The Shark

The sharks are smart and know that prey does not swim towards them, so it will turn away. Also, you can not outswim a shark. If a shark is swimming around they are just curious. They are not there to attack.

If you hold still and face them they will go away after close inspection and once they realize that you are human. After that, try and swim away slowly and as close to the bottom as your dive buddy.

If a shark remains curious, and you are growing concerned for some reason then try and stay close to your dive buddy and swim toward it together.

Look Big​

Generally, large fish eat the smaller ones. If a shark persists been curious then you and your dive buddy can get closer together.

Consider the sharks have poor eyesight, this will make you look bigger

Wrapping Up

Finally, it is not safe to swim with great white sharks. Simply they are one of the world’s top predators and are naturally dangerous. Great white sharks have the honor of the sharks that have caused the most fatal human attacks. 

And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on if is it safe to swim with great white sharks has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.

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Swim With Great White Sharks

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