World's 10 worst shark attacks in history
With the changing of the marine world, sharks follow their prey and move closer to famous shores
Surfers and undersea explorers often come into attacks by sharks. However, it is not an every-day phenomenon. In recent times, concerns arise as sharks killed seven people in Australia as of October this year, reports CNN.The last time the country experienced such fatalities was in 1934. So far, this year saw 21 shark attacks incidents worldwide, which is normal and consistent with previous years. The difference is in the fatality rate.
According to some experts, this could be seen as bad luck as year-by-year figures always fluctuate. But there is another possible culprit: the climate crisis. Ecosystems are being destroyed and forced to adapt due to the rise of temperature in the ocean. Fish are migrating to hitherto uncharted places. Species' behaviors are changing. With the changing of the marine world, sharks follow their prey and move closer to famous shores.
However, we have seen many worst shark attacks in movies, this time we will know about the world's 10 worst shark attacks reported by The Daily Telegraph.
USS Indianapolis
More than 900 men were thrown to the mercy of the sharks of the Pacific Ocean when their American warship, the USS Indianapolis, was split in two by Japanese torpedoes in July 1945. When rescuers arrived in the spot four days later, they found 579 men dead, with many chewed to pieces by circling sharks. Woody James, among just 316 survivors, said "The sharks were around, hundreds of them...Everything would be quiet and then you'd hear somebody scream and you knew a shark had got him."
Shirley Ann Durdin
In 1985, Shirley Ann Durdin was diving for scallops in Australia's Peake Bay when she was attacked by around 20 feet long great white shark. The mighty fish tore the 33-year-old in half in its first strike as her husband and four children watched in horror from the shore. By the time rescuers arrived, all that remained was her headless torso floating in the water. Within moments, the shark returned and devoured that too.
Jersey Shore attacks
Four people were killed in a spate of shark attacks along the coast of New Jersey in the United States during the deadly heat wave of 1916. The first victim, 25-year-old Charles Vansant, bled to death after sharks stripped the flesh off his thigh as he went for an early-evening swim. Five days later, Charles Bruder, 27, was killed after a shark tore into his abdomen and severed his legs as he swam off the beach at Spring Lake.
The final attacks took place six days later on July 12 in Matawan Creek. Lester Stillwell, a 12-year-old local boy, was dragged underwater as he splashed in the creek with friends. Stanley Fisher, 24, plunged into the water to search for Stillwell but was himself attacked by the shark and bled to death. The 12-year-old's mutilated body was found washed up 150 feet upstream two days later.
Robert Pamperin
In June 1959, Robert Pamperin was diving for sea snails off La Jolla Cove in California when his companion, Gerald Lehrer, heard him scream for help. Turning, Lehrer saw his friend upright and unnaturally high in the water with his mask missing. As he swam closer, Lehrer watched Pamperin slowly disappearing into the crimson waves and, diving beneath the surface, he saw his friend being dragged to the sea bed in the jaws of a 22 foot shark. Searching the water for his remains, the US Coast Guard found only a single swim fin.
Pacific Coast attacks
Four shark attacks occurred over a 15-day period off the Pacific Coast of the United States in 1984 - beginning with the gruesome death of a 28-year-old abalone diver. Omar Conger was resting vertically in the water and looking out to sea when his companion, Chris Rehm, saw a great white shark rear up out of the water behind him. "It grabbed him from behind, and while shaking him violently, pulled him under the water," Rehm later told researchers. The shark then resurfaced and released Conger, swimming straight at his companion. Rehm pulled his friend onto their dive mat and swam ashore, but Conger bled to death in the water.
Barry Wilson
Swimming near Lover's Point off the Californian coast in 1952, 17-year-old Barry Wilson was seen by witnesses to jerk suddenly from side to side. The young tuba player then screamed before witnesses saw a shark rearing out of the water to attack him from the front and drag him under. Wilson resurfaced seconds later, screaming and flailing his arms in a pool of blood. Five fellow swimmers fought for 30 minutes to drag him back to the beach through the rough surf, but he bled to death before they reached the shore.
Terrence Manuel
A 10-foot white pointer ripped off Terrence Manuel's right leg in 1974 as he struggled to scramble into a boat driven by his friend, John Talbot. The 26-year-old had been diving for sea snails in 30 feet of water when he suddenly burst through the surface and shouted "shark!" Talbot rushed to save his friend but was unable to prevent the attack and was instead forced to watch as Manuel bled to death in the water.
Randall Fry
Cliff Zimmerman was diving for abalone with his friend Randall Fry off the coast of California in 2004 when disaster struck. Zimmerman reported that he turned from Fry for a millisecond before hearing a "whooshing sound" and feeling the water move "as if a boat went by". He spun around to see Fry gone and a shark fin surfacing momentarily before the surrounding water turned red. Zimmerman swam for his life; his companion's severed head and body were found separately the following day.
Rodney Fox
Rodney Fox, then 13, was defending his Australian spear-fishing title in 1953 when a great white shark grabbed him round the middle and dragged him through the water upside down. The predator released him as he gouged its eyes, but soon returned and attacked again. Fox jammed his arm down the beast's throat and pulled it free again, ripping the flesh from his arm. The shark released him and then returned a third time, dragging Fox along the Ocean floor.
After nearly drowning, the teenager was released and pulled aboard a nearby boat with his ribcage, lungs and upper stomach exposed. Miraculously, his main arteries remained intact and he survived after four hours of surgery and 360 stitches.
Brook Watson
The first recorded victim of a shark attack, British merchant sailor Brook Watson was swimming in the harbour of Havana in 1749 when a shark attacked him once and then came back for more. The 14-year-old's crewmates saw the attack and dragged him from the bloody water, saving his life. Despite losing a foot to the shark and later having his leg amputated, Watson went on to serve for nine years as a Member of Parliament before becoming the Lord Mayor of London.
