Fear of sharks continues to play a prominent role in the human psyche. But despite their portrayal in popular culture as mindless murder machines, your chances of being attacked by a shark while swimming or diving are infinitesimally small. In 2020, there were 57 confirmed shark attacks, which was lower than the recent five-year average of 80 annual incidents. Out of the 490 different shark species, three are responsible for nearly all fatalities: the great white shark, tiger shark and bull shark. And keep in mind that humans are responsible for the deaths of up to 100 million sharks per year, slaughtered mainly for their fins. There are, however, several notorious shark attacks within our collective memories, starting with one that occurred in 1749. Here follow 10 of the most famous unprovoked shark attacks in history.

Number 10: Brook Watson

A painting by renowned American-born portrait artist John Singleton Copley called Watson and the Shark depicts a boy trying to escape from the water as a huge shark closes in with its mouth open. Copley based his painting on an actual shark attack that took place in 1749. Brook Watson, a 14-year-old crew member on a British merchant ship, was swimming in the harbor of Havana, Cuba when a shark attacked him. After being attacked twice, his shipmates finally managed to pull him from the water. They also managed to save his life, however Watson had to have his leg amputated below the knee. He is the first known shark attack survivor and despite his disability managed to become the Lord Mayor of London.

Number 9: Barry Wilson

On December 7, 1952 17-year-old Barry Wilson was swimming with a friend around 40 feet, or 12 meters, offshore near Lover’s Point at Pacific Grove in Monterey County, California. Wilson and his friend, 15-year-old Brookner Brady Jr., were in about 30 feet, or 9 meters, of murky water when Wilson’s body suddenly jerked side-to-side in an unnatural fashion and he began to scream. The many witnesses to the incident reported seeing a shark conducting a full-frontal attack on Wilson, lifting him from the water to his knees and then dragging him under. Five people came to his rescue and managed to get Wilson onto an innertube. They made for shore while the shark followed them the whole way. It took them 30 minutes to get back to the beach because of the rough surf, but it was too late, as Wilson succumbed to his injuries due to blood loss.

Number 8: Randall Fry

Randall Fry was free diving with his friend Cliff Zimmerman, hunting for abalone on the Mendocino coast just north of Fort Bragg, when a huge shark attacked Fry. According to Zimmerman, they were diving in about 15 feet, or 4.5 meters, of water about 150 feet, or 46 meters, from shore when Fry disappeared from the surface and never came up. Zimmerman recalls he felt the water move as if a submarine had gone by and heard a “whooshing sound.” He saw a fin and part of the shark’s body surface at lightning speed before it disappeared in the water again. After seeing the water turn red with blood, Zimmerman made a beeline for the pair’s fishing boat nearby and managed to get to safety. The Coast Guard launched a search and recovery team and found Fry’s body with huge bite marks across his shoulders, indicating that the shark was a great white. Gruesomely, Fry’s head had been severed from his body and was recovered three weeks after the attack by a beachcomber near Fort Bragg.

Number 7: Rodney Fox

South Australian filmmaker and conservationist Rodney Fox had mortal combat with a great white shark and lived to tell the tale. During an Australian spearfishing competition on December 8, 1963, a great white bit Fox in the middle of his body and took him for a ride. As the two were flying through the water, Fox tried to gauge out the shark’s eyes. The shark released him, only to turn around and launch a second attack. This time, Fox stuck his hand in the shark’s mouth and throat, forcing it to release again. After a third skirmish, Fox was pulled into a boat and rushed to the hospital. He was badly injured. His hand and arm were bitten down to the bone and his abdominal area was shredded. The fact that his rescuers kept his wetsuit on probably saved his life by keeping his insides compressed and not spilling out. Fox survived the ordeal as none of his main arteries had been severed and, 462 stiches later, he was on the mend. He went on to establish one of the world’s most famous great-white shark-diving operations in the world in South Australia .

свернуть