The waters surrounding Australia are a haven for marine life. There are coral reefs and the open waters, both housing many species. According to A-Z-Animals.com, Australian waters are home to about 200 different species of shark. Most common among them are great white sharks, tiger sharks, whale sharks, grey reef sharks, and bull sharks. Where there are sharks, there are also shark attacks.

According to floridapanhandle.com, there are 100 unprovoked shark attacks reported worldwide in any year on average. The likelihood that any person will fall victim to a fatal shark attack is one in 3,748,067. Parts of Australia have seen an increase in the number of annual shark attacks. Five fishermen came close to adding to that statistic in dramatic fashion.

Devastating shark attack off the Australian coastline leaves five stranded

While fishing off the coast of Perth, Western Australia, the group hooked a shark. It fought back and bit through the inflatable dinghy they used. They were left stranded some 400 miles away from shore, according to ABC Australia via Newsweek. With the engine and fuel lines suffering significant damage due to the incoming water, they had no way of making it back to shore. The five were stranded, slowly getting submerged as the water level rose.

Fortunately, the authorities were on alert after learning they did not return. The alarm was raised at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday. Hours later, a rescue aircraft found the stranded dinghy. All five occupants of the boat waved at the aircraft, which circled the wreck until the rescue boat arrived. After that, they were taken back to shore. All five slumbered through that trip, unsurprisingly, after that ordeal. Paramedics had a look and pronounced them all free of injury.

Sharks outlasted the dinosaurs and might outlast humanity

According to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, shark attacks were few and far between. Simultaneously, they added it was not unusual for sharks to attack smaller, slow-moving vessels. It is unclear which species of shark attacked the group on board the dinghy. They escaped without any serious injuries but a number of others could not share that good fortune.

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Surfing is one sport that often flirts with the danger of potential shark attacks. Many surfers have been victims of shark attacks. One example that comes to mind is that of Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm in an attack. That, as she famously noted, did not stop her from living her life.

Statistically, Australia’s waters have seen a high occurrence of attacks as well as high fatality rates. Additionally, some environmental changes have led to increases in shark populations. Shark attacks will not vanish from the earth anytime soon. They survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. It is also believed their ancestors predate the dinosaurs by at least 200 million years. They are almost a fact of life at this point. Fortunately, everyone escaped unhurt on this occasion.

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