How to Avoid Shark Attacks
The International Shark Attack File has a few pointers of enjoying the beach without worrying about sharks.
1. Swim, dive or surf with other people — never alone.
2. Don't swim where dangerous sharks are known to congregate.
3. Avoid swimming between sandbars, near steep drop-offs, near channels or at river mouths where sharks are found.
4. Don't swim in dirty or turbid water.
5. Avoid wearing shiny jewelry that might simulate the scales of a prey fish, and also avoid uneven tanning and contrasting, bright-colored clothing.
6. Don't swim at dusk or at night.
7. Refrain from excessive splashing.
8. Keep pets and domestic animals, with their erratic movements, out of the water.
9. Don't swim near people who are fishing or spear-fishing, or near sewage outfalls.
10. Avoid spreading blood or human wastes in the water.
11. If schooling fish start to behave erratically or congregate in large numbers, leave the area.
12. If a shark is sighted in the area, leave the water as calmly and quickly as possible.
Source: International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida