Due to hollywood movies about sharks many people think of them as predatory creatures that will hunt down humans due to be blood thirsty. On the contrary sharks, don't even like eating humans. The blood of humans doesn't taste the same as the food they actually eat which is why when a person is attacked it usually just one bite.

Fish and seals and other various sea creatures make up that fearsome hunter's diet. And they've evolved wonderfully to suit their trade; strong, fast, nimble, and lots and lots of teeth, which is a big part of why we find them so scary.

It is often when people mimic prey animals' behavior, though, that they're in any danger from a shark. Swimming far out from shore, flailing about while riding a surf board trying to catch the next big wave, they've put themselves in position to be mistaken for an injured seal. The people may not know what they've done, but it's no different from the guy who jumped in for a swim just as the tide was going out and was dragged out to sea. They're just doing the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Even so, only a dozen or so people, out of the millions that go to beaches every year, get killed by sharks. Additionally, there are only around 90 or so shark attacks each year and many of those are nudges or bumps that leave nothing more than bruises. Each is certainly a tragedy but looking at it in context, the events are accidental rather than malicious.

Strange though it may seem, falling coconuts actually cause 10 times as many injuries to humans as sharks do. The Tiger shark and the great white shark may be the most aggressive of sharks but they very rarely attack humans. You'll find yourself more at risk whilst you drive to the beach, bearing in mind that driving kills more than 40,000 people on the US each year.

So when a shark does bite a person, pity the victim their suffering. But also pity the hundreds of sharks that will be killed in the name of pointless retribution. Those animals don't understand why we're suddenly hunting them, they're not like people in that they can be told why they're being punished. The only choices we have are to kill them all or learn to coexist peacefully. And trying to do the former hasn't kept us safe.

Although the Hollywood image of sharks has left people afraid of the water, it's important to be aware that they are not seeking out humans as prey. However, they sometimes mistake people as prey, when the people mimic the prey's behavior. Even so, only a dozen or so people out of the millions that swim in the oceans each year, get killed by a shark attack. The Tiger shark and the great white shark may be the most aggressive but they rarely attack humans. You'll find yourself more at risk while you drive to the beach, since driving kills more than 40,000 people in the US each year.