As a THIRD shark attack rocks Majorca, Europe’s most dangerous spots to swim are revealed…and Britain is in second place
Croatia has the most deaths at 12, including nine thought to have been caused by just ONE Great White
THE sighting of a THIRD shark stalking the waters off Majorca sparked a major holiday panic and left one swimmer injured.
Terrified holidaymakers were ordered out of the sea in Colonia de Sant Jordi after a man was rammed and cut by the vicious predator.
It was the third time a shark had been spotted in waters around the Spanish island within the last few weeks – sparking genuine fears among those packing their holiday bags.
The first sighting was near the party resort of Magaluf on June 24 after a Blue shark was seen swimming just yards from paddling kids.
Weeks later police were sent to Cala Major near Palma after another terrifying sighting in the sea.
Now Brits are asking exactly how safe is the Med and what killer creatures are lurking beneath the waves?
While shark attacks in Europe are extremely rare, the predators are far more common than thought.
Since 1900, there have been more than 200 attacks in the Med - and more than 50 people have lost their lives.
Italy has had the most recorded shark attacks with 50 since 1900.
Surprisingly, perhaps, the UK comes next, with a total of 38 followed by Spain with 35.
The majority of the UK incidents were cases of fishermen getting bitten while trying to unhook a shark or fishermen getting bitten on the boot by a shark at the bottom of a boat etc.
More than a quarter of those incidents in Italian waters were fatal.
Croatia has the most deaths with 12, including nine thought to have been caused by just ONE Great White in 1974.
The Shark Foundation says one Great White caught was a 1,995Kg up to four-metre-long monster off Tunisia in October 2015.
Although this seems small fry compared to the attack hot-spots of the USA, South Africa and Australia it still makes worrying reading.
Noted attacks in recent years include a 30-year-old woman who was savaged by a tiger shark in Benidorm in 2014.
The same year, swimming was banned, and tourists warned to be on their guard, at popular beaches in the south of France and Corsica for several days after blue sharks were seen in shallow waters.
And earlier this summer, a pensioner was "mauled by a shark" as he swam off the coast of Ibiza.
There are reportedly 47 types of shark found in the Med - 15 of which are dangerous to humans.
These are said to include alongside Great Whites, the more aggressive Tiger Shark, and Bull Shark, but definitive sightings of the last two have yet to be agreed upon.
Other dangerous types in the Med include the Blacktip shark, the Hammerhead shark, the Sand Tiger shark and the Blue shark.
The sharks found in the Mediterranean
- Angelshark
- Angular roughshark
- Atlantic catshark
- Basking shark
- Bigeye sixgill shark
- Bigeye thresher
- Bignose shark
- Blackmouth catshark
- Blackspot smoothhound
- Blacktip reef shark
- Blacktip shark
- Blue shark
- Bluntnose sixgill shark
- Bramble shark
- Bronze whaler shark
- Dusky shark
- Great hammerhead
- Great white shark
- Gulper shark
- Kitefin shark
- Little gulper Shark
- Little sleeper shark
- Longfin mako
- Longnose spurdog
- Milk shark
- Nursehound
- Oceanic Whitetip shark
- Porbeagle shark
- Portugese dogfish
- Sandbar shark
- Sandtiger shark
- Sawback angelshark
- Scalloped hammerhead
- Sharpnose sevengill shark
- Shortfin mako
- Shortnose spurdog
- Smallspotted catshark
- Smalltooth sandtiger Shark
- Smooth hammerhead
- Smoothback angelshark
- Smoothhound
- Spinner shark
- Spiny Dogfish
- Starry smoothhound
- Thresher shark
- Tope shark
- Velvet belly lanternshark
The above is based on data collected by the Shark Trust
Experts say clashes between these sharks and humans are now virtually "unavoidable."
Ian K Fergusson, of Sharkinfo.ch, said: "Even the slightest hint of a shark attack in the Mediterranean surprises - even horrifies - the many millions of people who visit this region every year.
"From a biological and historical aspect, the fact that sharks in the region bite at an almost abnormal minimum frequency of only 0.42 cases annually should not surprise anyone. The only surprise is the low frequency of attacks.
"The existence of approximately 46 different species of sharks in the Mediterranean - 16 of them measuring three or more meters in length, and 15 being potentially dangerous species - makes the occasional encounter between humans and these animals in the most frequented and most travelled sea unavoidable."
How to survive a horror shark attack?
The chances of being attacked by a shark are extremely small - about 11,000,000-1 and that's in the Great White-plagued waters off the US.
But if you do find yourself a victim, the best thing to do is to stand your ground and fight back.
A blow to the shark’s nose or a jab in its eyes could either persuade the predator to back off or surprise it enough to give victims enough time to swim to safety.
“You want to be aggressive because sharks appreciate size and power,” said George Burgess, curator of the at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
“You want to fight like hell. Demonstrate you’re strong and not going to go down easy.”
A shark's nose, eyes and gills are extremely sensitive and necessary for its survival, marine biologists say.
“If it looks aggressive, hit it on the nose hard,” Burgess said.
“It would be the equivalent to a neighbourhood bully coming down the sidewalk and you taking the first swing. It will probably be surprised and won’t know what’s going on for a moment or two.”
At the first sign of a shark attack, experts advise that you find yourself a weapon.
Be this a knife, harpoon or pole, grab whatever is close to hand. Because even the most ineffectual, blunt object is a considerably better option for smacking a shark than your (edible) hands or feet.
Never play dead, as you will present yourself as an easy meal. The shark will think that it has won and your clever, corpse-imitating idea will have only served to put you on top of the post-fight menu.
If possible, move yourself into a position where your back is against a solid structure.
By establishing yourself against the side of a boat, drop-off or reef cliff, you will halve the angles from which the shark can strike - and thus double your chances of fending it off.
And remember, you are over 3,000 times more likely to drown in the sea than be killed by a shark
Closer to home, it's been reported a Great White is prowling off the coast of Britain.
Expert Graeme Pullen says he has been pursuing the man-eater off the south coast for the past two years.
But the fishing journalist has now gone public with his fears because he feels Brit beach-goers need to be warned, especially as the summer holidays approach.
Mr Pullen said: “Make no mistake, this is the big one.
“This is surely Britain’s first Great White – and it’ll be coming back this summer.”
He claims the blood-thirsty killer has been sighted repeatedly off Hayling Island, Hants, for two years.
And he fears it could been returning to rich hunting grounds and gorging on seals and fish in shallow water.
He added: “The danger is this shark will eventually stumble across someone in a wet-suit and mistake them for a seal.”
