Although rare, shark attacks have been on the rise in recent years - and experts say over-excited tourists could be to blame. Despite their fearsome reputation in popular culture, sharks don't have much interest in attacking humans, and only around 100 incidents are reported around the world each year, with less than 10% resulting in death. That number has been on the rise in the last decade, however, and researchers at PSL University in France think they know why.
Professor Eric Clua said a recent spike could be linked to shark interactions going viral on social media, emboldening holidaymakers to poke and prod at the ocean predators, putting them into self-defence mode. "I don't encourage, as many influencers do on social networks, [people] to cling to a shark's dorsal fin or stroke it, under the pretext of proving that they are harmless and supposedly working for their conservation," he told The Times.
The research examined records of shark incidents on the coast of French Polynesia between 2009 and 2023, and found that alongside competition and territorialism, up to 5% of bites on the stretch were linked to self-defence.
Other experts have also warned social media users against following the example of celebrities and other well-known figures who might be getting too close to the creatures with the aim of getting a few clicks.
Ocean Ramsey, a Hawaii-based conservationist who posts videos online of her interactions with sharks, was criticised by marine biologist David Schiffman back in 2019 for promoting dangerous behaviour.
"I can't believe that 'please don't grab the 18ft-long wild predator' is something that needs to be explicitly said out loud, but here we are," he told the Washington Post.
Scientists have advised swimmers to steer clear of any activity that could be perceived as aggressive, including trying to help stranded sharks or physically interacting with them in any way, to avoid being attacked themselves.
"We show that defensive bites by sharks on humans - a reaction to initial human aggression - are a reality and that the animal should not be considered responsible or at fault when they occur," Professor Clua told the Frontiers science journal.
"These bites are simply a manifestation of survival instinct, and the responsibility for the incident needs to be reversed."
