Paddling Safety Tips for Shark Encounters

Download the “Jaws” soundtrack. While Hollywood’s “Jaws” is coming off the 50th anniversary, recent shark strikes on stand-up paddleboards and kayaks have rekindled safety considerations that paddlers should take to avoid these toothy denizens of the deep.

According to NBC News, in March paddleboarder Brian Miller from South Carolina was bitten by a shark off Florida’s coast. Miller was reportedly paddleboarding offshore on a calm morning when he “felt a tug.”

“It felt like when you’re in a deep pool and then a friend messes with you giving your ankle a little tug,” he told the news outlet. “Luckily, it didn’t crush any of the bones.” Back on shore, friends rushed him to the hospital where he received 31 stitches.

In California, social media clips captured another shark following a paddleboarder in Santa Barbara, while a shark sighting in Huntington Beach forced beaches to close and canceled a long-running surf contest.

In 2019, a series of shark encounters rattled the paddling world. Expedition paddler Sean Morley documented getting chased by a blue shark while solo crossing SoCal’s Channel Islands (“It was like a cat with a mouse,” said Morley, who reportedly threw a shiny energy bar wrapper into the ocean in hopes of distracting it); earlier, a 15-foot-long great white bit down on the front bulkhead of local distance paddler Duane Strosaker’s homemade wood and fiberglass sea kayak before “gently letting go” five miles off the Santa Barbara shoreline, puncturing the hull in several places and “gently gumming” the boat for about 15 seconds; and a great white slammed Adam Coca on his 13-foot sit-on-top fishing kayak on the San Mateo coast, near San Francisco, knocking him into the water (the shark chewed on the plastic kayak before leaving, with Coca made a distress call on his VHF radio before being assisted by other kayak anglers).

Not that there’s any need for alarm — according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, beach attendance and shark attacks are increasing proportionally, reflecting an increasing number of paddlers rather than a rise in aggressive sharks. Still, it’s prudent to take these precautions to limit shark encounters and make your trip safer if you do come across a shark while paddling.

Tips for Avoiding and Helping Your Chances with Shark Encounters and Attacks

1. Always wear a properly fitted, US Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while on the water. It will help you stay afloat no matter what causes you to end up in the water.
2. Always file a float plan by telling someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. If something does go awry and you’re late reporting back, they’ll know to go look.
3. Stay with your paddlecraft/bring a leash: If you fall out or off of your paddlecraft, stay close to it and don’t let it get away. If you’re on a SUP, make sure you have a leash attached to your board so it doesn’t drift away in the wind or waves.
4. Distraction over aggression:As Morely did, throwing a shiny or drifting object into the water can sometimes provide a momentary diversion if a shark is circling.
5. Stay in the boat: Resist the urge to jump into the water. A kayak is a highly effective barrier, and sharks typically hunt from below.
6. Paddle smoothly: Alert companions, maintain your composure, and paddle steadily toward the shore or a safe location rather than panicking.

More Tips for Avoiding Shark Attacks

The two most common culprits in shark encounters are great whites and tigers, maintains Victoria Scott, a marine biologist and Director of Education with the Canadian Shark Conservation Society. Fortunately, they hunt from below, occasionally mistaking a sea kayaker or SUP on the surface as a seal or sea lion. They’ll usually investigate before deciding to attack, using their mouths to determine if something is edible (fortunately, kayaks and SUPs usually aren’t tasty). But there are a few tricks of the trade to avoid encounters:

• Stay clear of blood in the water from nearby fishing boats;
• Avoid cloudy river mouths and suspect waters at dusk and dawn, which are prime hunting times;
• Avoid large groups of fish, seals or sea lions;
• Keep a quiet paddle: If you see a shark, don’t try to paddle away (your splashes could resemble an injured seal and attract attention). Hawaiian marine conservationist Ocean Ramsey adds to never splash or swim or paddle away; look at it and swim towards it if it comes toward you, think and plan your exit strategy, and don’t look backwards unless it moves away.
• If a shark is becoming aggressive, try hitting it on the snout with your paddle;
• If entering waters you think have sharks, keep your head on a swivel to scan the waters around you.

Shark Tips from the Tsunami Rangers

Perhaps no paddling club has sea kayaked among sharks more than California’s extreme kayaking group, the Tsunami Rangers. Here’s are a few tips from ringleader Eric Soares:

1. Avoid paddling in known shark attack areas. For example, we do not paddle at Ano Nuevo (near Santa Cruz, California), ever since kayaker Ken Kelton’s great white attack experience there (he lived, but his boat didn’t). Why look for trouble?
2. If you do paddle in known shark-infested waters (e.g., the South African coast), be aware that sharks may attack, because they are either stupid, mad, or hungry, so plan for it.  If you can still comfortably paddle, knowing the situation, you will not be caught wholly off guard should one rear its head. That’s half the battle.
3. If you are paddling in shark waters and are bleeding, get off the water. Sharks can smell a drop of blood from a long way off and be on scene quickly and quietly.
4. If a shark appears or attacks your boat, paddle smoothly and quickly to shore as you alert your friends of the danger (yelling is okay, but sound in command, as you would to a dog, and not in a panic).
5. If your friends are nearby, paddle together in a pod smoothly and quickly to shore.  Everyone needs to be focused and determined, not panicky.
6. If the shark attacks your body, fight back with everything you’ve got. You have a slim chance if you muster up everything you have and defend yourself. Poke its eyes and hit its nose. After the attack, no matter how badly you may be wounded, swim smoothly and quickly to shore. If the shark attacks again, fight back again, then continue to swim to shore. Focus on survival instead of terror.
7. If you are in a group, and you see a kayaker get attacked by a shark, paddle aggressively to the shark and ram him if you can (yes, you read correctly). Then assist the attacked person to the shore, smoothly and quickly.
8. Once ashore, call 911 and administer first aid to yourself and anyone attacked by a shark.

(Photos courtesy Gerald Schömbs on Unsplash)