🦈 How to Survive a Shark Attack

Part of the LeonLink "How to Survive" series. Updated Oct 26, 2026. Bracketed numbers point to the sources at the bottom. For general education only, not medical advice.

Unprovoked shark bites are rare: roughly 60–80 confirmed worldwide each year, and few are fatal [1]. What matters most is lowering your odds and controlling the bleeding fast.

Lower your odds

Swim at guarded beaches with other people. Stay out of the water at dawn, dusk and night, and avoid murky water, river mouths and fishing areas. More bites happen where more people are in the water and where local conditions draw sharks [2].

Deterrents

In a controlled trial, only one electrical deterrent clearly cut how often sharks took the bait. The magnetic and wax products barely worked [3].

If a shark bites

Fight back and aim for the eyes and gills [1]. Then get out of the water.

Stop the bleeding

Most deaths come from blood loss. Press hard on the wound. If an arm or leg is bleeding heavily, put on a tourniquet 2–3 inches above the wound. Putting one on early is strongly linked to survival [4]. Call emergency services.

More survival guides

• How to Survive a Bear Attack
• How to Prepare: Winter in the Woods
• How to Prepare: Living in a Camper
• How to Prepare: Zombie Apocalypse

Sources

1. Florida Museum. International Shark Attack File. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/
2. Chapman BK, McPhee D. Global shark attack hotspots. Ocean Coast Manage. 2016;133:72–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.09.010
3. Huveneers C, et al. Effectiveness of five personal shark-bite deterrents for surfers. PeerJ. 2018;6:e5554. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5554
4. Kragh JF Jr, et al. Survival with emergency tourniquet use to stop bleeding in major limb trauma. Ann Surg. 2009;249(1):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0b013e31818842ba