Summer is here and many plan to make their way to the beaches of the Gulf. However, some are starting to reconsider after reports of sharks and, even worse, attacks in the area.
But Marine expert Sean Powers, Director of Marine and Environmental Sciences at University of South Alabama, says instead of cancelling plans just exercise a little caution.
“Just stay alert. And, if the appropriate flags are displayed that indicate dangerous marine life may be around, stay in the shallows.”
Professor Powers says that shallow should be considered between ankle and knee deep.
You can still load up the car with floaties, snacks, and the kids as the professor says that though it seems there are more attacks than ever before, that may be more owing to the fact that we hear about them more.
“Actually, over the last ten years the numbers have stayed pretty steady. Of all the beach visitors in the world, only about sixty will encounter an unprovoked shark attack and of those sixty only about twenty percent are fatal.”
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As for most beaches, you can check your destination's social media or local government pages before heading out to see if there are any warnings for the water that day.
They are usually color coded with each color indicating different threats like for marine life and bacteria content.
Professor Powers says the waters of the Gulf are safe, especially if you plan ahead. However, he offers advice if you should find yourself confronted by one, or several, of the Apex predators.
“If they are swimming in circles around you, you need to get out of the water immediately.”
