‘Face the Shark!’: Kelly Slater Shares Surprising Survival Tip
Huntington Beach, CA – Pro surfer Kelly Slater has revealed a counterintuitive strategy for surviving a shark encounter: face the animal. the 11-time world champion shared the advice, rooted in observations and experiments, suggesting direct confrontation can deter an attack.
Slater’s tip challenges conventional instincts to flee. “If you find yourself in a situation in the ocean with a shark,” Slater said, “face the shark. I don’t care what your instincts tell you. Face the shark. You have to. It’s predator or prey. and you know, if a lion gets spotted, it changes the game.It’s no different with sharks. If you face a shark, they realize they’ve been seen.” This advice comes as shark encounters, while statistically rare, garner increased attention from surfers and ocean enthusiasts. Understanding effective responses could be critical for those who spend significant time in the water.
The surfer explained his theory stems from observing shark interactions, particularly those conducted with tiger sharks in Hawaii. He noted that erratic splashing can mimic a distressed animal, triggering a predatory response. “I’ve seen some of these people who swim with sharks in Hawaii, the tiger sharks, and they do these experiments to show this. Maybe they swim away splashing, and the shark comes up at them rapid. As soon as they turn around and face the shark,it goes back to half the speed,and slows down. It’s because they’re investigating. Things that are splashing in the ocean look like they’re dying. and they’re the cleaners of the ocean.”
Slater’s advice isn’t a guaranteed solution, but offers a potentially life-saving option to panicked retreat. The discussion has sparked debate within the surfing community, prompting individuals to consider their response should they encounter a shark while surfing.
Related: ‘My Head Was inside Its Mouth’: Man Survives Shark Attack
related: Scientists Put Shark-Proof Wetsuits to the Test (Video)
