Top 10 Shark Attacks From History

These are some of the most infamous shark attacks in history. It’s a well-known fact that sharks are predators and they have little fear of any creature they cross path with. Sharks are curious and the only way they can explore an object is to bite it. Their bites are mostly explanatory. They bite once and then swim away. It is thought that the explanatory bites on surfers are thought to be caused by the shark mistaking the surfer for the shape of prey. However, a single bite can grievously injure a human if the animal involved is a powerful predator like a great white or tiger shark.

1. Jersey Shore 1916

This shark attack is thought to have inspired the move Jaws. This shark attack had for deaths and one injury as a result over a ten day period. It was probably a deed of a great white shark or a bull shark.

2. Matawan Creek, New Jersey 1916

A couple of weeks of after the Jersey Shore attack a great white shark killed a 12-year-boy in Matawan Creek. Local men set off on a shark hunt. They managed to catch the shark only it claimed another victim and wounded one other. After they caught it and cut open the shark they came to a horrific discovery. The shark contained 15lb (7kg) of human flesh and bone.

3. U.S.S. Indianapolis, 1945

Hundreds of sailors lost their lives after U.S.S. Indianapolis was torpedoed. They were stranded for days on the open sea. Sharks were beneath them and were eating one by one. One sailor said “I never looked down. Everybody who looked down went crazy”. Between 600-800 sailors lost their lives but it is not known how many from exposure and how many from shark attacks.

4. Brook Watson 1749

A 14-year-old crew member Brook Watson was a first-known shark attack survivor. He was twice attacked while swimming in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. His shipmates saved his life, but the shark took his foot and he later had his leg amputated.

5. Rodney Fox 1953

He was an Australian spear fishing champion. He got attacked by a great white while he was defending his title. After an extensive struggle he manages to get away. He is the best-known survivor of a shark attack. His injuries required four hours of surgery and 360 stitches.

This is the sequence of the PART 1 top shark attacks from history. We are continuing with our list and looking at some other incidents with sharks that occurred in the past.

6. Bethany Hamilton 2003

In 2003 before dawn on Halloween morning, Bethany had her left arm taken off by a 14-foot tiger shark while she was surfing. This happened near the waters of Kauai in Hawaii. After the emergency surgery, she asked the doctor when she could surf again. She didn’t give up on her dream. She is one of the best surfers and is continuing to catch the perfect wave and inspire others with her touching story. Soul Surfer is a movie based on her life story.

7. Barry Wilson 1952

17-year-old Barry Wilson was attacked by a shark while he was swimming with a friend off the shore of Pacific Grove, California, in front of many witnesses. The shark pulled him from side to side then lifted him out of the water before dragging him in. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive the shark attack.

8. Henri Bource 1964

The shark attack on Henri Bource is one of the first captured on film. He was swimming with two other divers off the coast of Australia. He was free diving with playful seals at Lady Julia Percy Island, a volcanic rock off Portland, when suddenly they vanished. Then a great white seized his left leg. He had been the “slowest seal in the pod”, a common shark-attack case of mistaken identity. His colleagues gave him first aid after taking him to safety. He survived but lost his left leg.

9. Lloyd Skinner 2010

Lloyd Skinner was attacked by a shark while he was swimming neck-deep just near the shore of a beach in Cape Town, South Africa. The great white pulled him under water. There was nothing left behind except for a pool of blood and victims goggles.

10. Sharm El Sheikh 2010

After two sharks were captured it was thought that the series of shark attacks ended. Beaches were reopened. The next day, a 70-year-old woman was killed in a shark attack as she snorkeled near the shore. It is thought that the reason for these attacks was dumping of dead seep from a ship.