Sharks have cultivated a particularly foreboding image in popular culture. If I were to guess, I’d say it’s more what you don’t see that’s frightening. That was the cinematic genius (some would say dumb luck) of Jaws. Word is there were so many issues with the mechanical shark that Spielberg had to use different techniques to spook viewers without actually showing the shark, because behind the scenes it was actually on the fritz.
If you think about it, that seems to parallel the general public’s fear associated with sharks – it’s that you don’t see them coming and can’t safely get away in time that’s the most frightening. That fear, paired with what some would characterize as heightened instances of attacks around the world (shark experts say global shark populations are definitely increasing) can lead to moral dilemmas about policy that are reinforced by hype about the danger of sharks.
Take the video above for instance. What looks to be beautiful drone footage from above of a lineup in Florida where sharks and surfers are close to each other has been characterized as: Sharks Approach Surfers!! (double exclamation point!!)
And if that doesn’t terrify you, here’s the video description (more exclamation points!):
This incredible DJI Mavic Pro drone footage shows sharks approaching surfers and paddle boarders near the Fort Pierce Inlet in Fort Pierce, Florida. At one point a big shark nearly attacks a smaller shark right next to a surfer!! Some of the surfers were not even aware that there were sharks right next to them!
Two days after taking this video there was a reported shark attack in Vero Beach Florida which is in Indian River County…a few miles north of Fort Pierce which is in Saint Lucie County.
To be fair, Florida surfers (particularly just north of Fort Pierce Inlet in New Smyrna Beach) have a particularly complicated relationship with the man in the gray suit. With more than 230 recorded shark attacks, New Smyrna Beach is sometimes referred to as the shark bite capital of the world. Characterizing a short video in this way makes sense, given the history. Still, it’s problematic in that it implies the surfers pictured were in danger in some way. It would take a more definitive understanding of the breed of shark and its size (to start) to determine if it would be the kind that might confuse a human with its natural prey. The truth is, we can’t know if these surfers were really in any danger. All the same, the footage is beautiful and goes to show that surfers in their pursuit naturally must coexist with other creatures of the ocean.
