Prompted by this story, I used the statistics available at Shark Attack Files (http://www.sharkattackfile.net/incidentlog.htm) to do a quick and dirty assessment of the shark attack risks faced by those of us who love to go down to the sea in small kayaks. Thought it might be instructive to include other small hulls in the assessment - paddleboards, surfskis, sailboards, kiteboards, wakeboards and, yes, even surf boards.
I tried to summarise the data using the diagram below that shows the number shark attacks over the last ten years, by ocean-based activity, broken down into extent of injury caused by those attacks (fatal, injured, uninjured). The key aspects of each shark attack on kayaks over the ten year period are somewhat hastily summarised in an appendix to this post (see below).
Shark attacks on kayaks numbered 31 over this period, or 2.8 percent of the total of 1100 attacks. But it can’t be concluded that kayaking is any more or less prone to shark attack than any other activity because we don’t accurately know the numbers undertaking each activity. For example, there are many more surfers than kayakers and so surfers appear a lot more often in the statistics.
Only one kayaker died as a result of shark attack. He bled to death from a bite to the leg that he was apparently dangling in the water while he was fishing. This compares to 122 killed in all activities. Only three kayakers were injured, 0.4 per cent of the 793 non-fatal injuries. That is, most kayakers escaped unharmed from shark attacks.
I formed the impression from my look at the data that the typical shark attack on a hull in the water was by a white shark approaching rapidly from almost straight underneath to take a big initial bite. The evidence to date suggests that sharks don’t usually follow through to attack a person thrown into the water by the impact of the attack – this is the case so far with attacks on kayaks. The initial bite is often devastating to surfers, because a bite of a relatively thin board often means a bite into flesh, whereas with a kayak the bite usually only means contact with the hull.
To me, the typical pattern of shark attack is consistent with sharks either mistaking kayaks for strongly preferred prey (such as seals or sea lions), or chasing off perceived competitors for food resources, rather than looking on humans as food.
In summary, yes, sharks attack kayaks. In my opinion, this is because they mistake kayaks (and other small hulls in the water) for something else. Kayakers figure less prominently in the mortality and injury statistics than other small hull users because the more substantial natures of our hulls afford us a somewhat comforting level of protection.
Appendix
Shark attacks on kayaks: 2005 to 2014
- 19/10/2014, Leadbetter Beach, Santa Barbara County, California, United States, no injury, canoe bitten
- 11/10/2014, Castle Rock, north of Dunsborough, Western Australia, Australia, inflatable kayak partially deflated, no injury to two occupants
- 2pm, 3/10/2014, Santa Barbara County, California, United States, no injury, white shark rammed and overturned kayak, leaving 6-8 tooth punctures
- 11:30am, 3/10/2014, Santa Barbara County, California, United States, no injury, kayak rammed and overturned by white shark
- 3/9/2014, Manomet Point, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, No injury, white shark capsized two kayaks near seal colony, biting one of the kayaks
- 2/12/2013, man lure fishing from kayak, between Makena & Molokini, Maui, Hawaii, United States, bled to death after shark bit right leg dangling in water
- 25/06/2013, Pacific State, San Mataeo County, California, United States, no injury, kayak scratched
- 7/07/2012, Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz County, California, United States, occupant of a 13.5 foot kayak knocked into the water by white shark that left teeth marks and a tooth in the kayak
- 20/05/2012, Iroquois Point, Oahu, Hawaii, United States, no injury, tiger shark bit kayak (with amas)
- 12/05/2012, Leffingwell Landing, Cambria, Humboldt County, California, United States, no injury, kayaker fell in the water when kayak bitten by a shark
- 11/04/2012, Dolphin Bay, Innes National Park, South Australia, Australia, minor wound to kayaker’s thigh when white shark bit his kayak
- 21/12/2011, Makahuena Point, Kauai, Hawaii, United States, no injury, rudder damaged
- 21/12/2011, Noordhoek, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, no injury but kayak dented
- 7/12/2011, KwaZulu-Natal, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, no injury, kayak rammed
- 22/11/2011, Pigeon Point, California, United States, no injury, kayak bitten by white shark
- 5/10/2011, Cap La Houssaye, Reunion, no injury, shark charged a kayak, hitting it from beneath the prow and sinking it
- 20/09/2011, Kauai's south shore, Poipu to Salt Pond, Hawaii, United States, no injury, canoe severely damaged after shark bit it twice
- 15/07/2011, Saint Gilles, Reunion, no injury, kayak bitten
- 5/07/2011, Libertad, San Onofre, Sucre, Columbia, serious injuries to right arm
- 14/08/2010, Pigeon Point, California, United States, no injury, kayak had bite marks from white shark
- 2/08/2010, five miles off Gaviota State Park, California, United States, no injury, white shark held sea kayak in jaw for 15 seconds, in vicinity of sea lions
- 20/12/2009, Mudjimba Island, Queensland, Australia, no injury, kayak bumped and circled
- 30/10/2009, Nunns Beach, Portland, Victoria, Australia, no injury, white shark jaws kayak then capsized it, tooth marks in kayak
- 27/12/2008, Long Reef, north of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, no injury, white shark toppled occupant of one kayak, then circled a group of rafted up kayaks (plus an aluminium dinghy) for ten minutes
- 20/12/2008, Dillon Beach, Marin County, California, United States, no injury, white shark struck paddle
- 21/06/2008, West Cove, Catalina Island, California, United States, no Injury, white shark bumped occupant from kayak
- 15/10/2007, Byron Bay-Wategos, New South Wales, Australia, four stitches right arm, white shark bit back of sea kayak and tipped occupant into water
- 21/07/2007, Bean Hollow State Beach, San Mateo County, California, United States, no injury, white shark knocked occupant from kayak
- 1/02/2006, Off Pu'u Ola'l Makena Maui, Hawaii, United States, no injury, shark bumped kayak repeatedly for 15 minutes
- 14/05/2005, North Kihei Maui, Hawaii, United States, no injury, tiger shark bit kayak
- 8/01/2005, Taupiri Bay, North Island, New Zealand, no injury, kayaker engaged in long line fishing 400 metres from shore bumped repeatedly by white shark until safety of shore reached
