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The 50th anniversary of the blockbuster "Jaws" may leave some fearful of swimming in the open waters, but the reality is that shark bites are rare. Experts with the American College of Surgeons are available for media interviews to discuss the medical treatment of shark bites as well as other kinds of injuries beachgoers may encounter during summer.

Movies like "Jaws" depict the immense predatory drive of sharks, particularly great white sharks, with the slick production and skill of a Hollywood narrative. But in real life, the vast majority of shark bites occur by mistake and are not predatory, and shark bites are exceedingly rare.

The International Shark Attack File, a database maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History, documented 28 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in 2024—defined as a bite that occurs in a shark's natural habitat without human provocation—in the United States, the most of any country in the world. Half of these bites occurred in Florida waters, with swimmers and surfers being most susceptible to attacks.

Surgeons emphasize that most injuries involving a shark will not cause death, but when a bite occurs, receiving prompt medical attention can save lives. Sharks' sharp teeth and grip can cause large traumatic wounds—most often to the legs or arms—that may severely damage muscles and vascular tissue, sometimes requiring surgery or amputation. Infection is also important to control since sharks' mouths and the ocean water contain bountiful foreign bacteria that could infect a wound.

"The severity of the wound from a shark bite will depend on the location and depth of the wound, and whether or not a large blood vessel like the femoral artery is affected, which can turn life-threatening quickly, " said Ashley Lentz, MD, FACS, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in private practice who is on the clinical faculty at the University of Florida and an associate professor at Florida State University College of Medicine.

An injury mainly involving the soft tissue, which includes muscle and fat tissue, can still be debilitating depending on the location of the wound, she added, but it likely won't cause life-threatening bleeding if large blood vessels are spared.

In 2010, Dr. Lentz and a team of researchers at the University of Florida developed a shark bite severity scale—the Shark-Induced Trauma Scale or SIT scale—that classifies the varying degrees of severity of shark attack injuries on a scale from 1–5. The team found that most shark bites (42%) were classified as Level 1, involving minor cuts or lacerations. Only a small percentage of attacks (8%) caused death.

"It was really reassuring to learn that most shark bites aren't going to kill someone, " Dr. Lentz said. "We can live in harmony with sharks, who are important for our ecosystem; we just need to be smart about it. If you're going to be surfing waters full of bait or if you're swimming next to someone who is fishing with bait, you're putting yourself at risk of an attack. But if you play it safe and are aware of your surroundings, you can really decrease your risk of injury."

Having access to a skilled trauma team that provides coordinated care from the moment of injury can also make a difference in outcomes, noted Jeffrey D. Kerby, MD, Ph.D., FACS, chair of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma and director of the division of trauma and acute care surgery for the department of surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine.

"Shark bites occur in open water, oftentimes miles away from a trauma center. Every injured person has a window of survivability based on the type and severity of injury they have sustained, so it's critical to initiate care as quickly as possible, " he said.

"This care could include bystanders using bleeding control techniques at the scene and first responders administering blood in transit to the nearest trauma center. These are just some of the ways to extend that window of opportunity to save a life."

Be wary of everyday objects on the beach that can also cause bleeding injuries

While shark attacks may garner the most media attention, injuries from other natural organisms or debris in the ocean—seashells, rocks, coral reef, and boating equipment—are far more likely to cause a bleeding injury than a shark bite, said David S. Shapiro, MD, MHCM, FCCM, FACS, vice-chair of the ACS Stop the Bleed Committee.

"Bleeding can happen anywhere, and the ocean is no exception, " said Dr. Shapiro, a lifelong "Jaws" fan who grew up near the shores of Connecticut. "There's not going to be ominous music playing in the background to warn you when something bad is about to happen like in 'Jaws, ' so the best thing you can do is be prepared to respond."

For shark bites or any injury that happens in the water that causes bleeding, the most important thing is to stop the bleeding as soon as possible, Dr. Shapiro said. When a person loses too much blood, they can die within minutes. The ACS Stop the Bleed program, for which lifeguards are eligible to become instructors, teaches the public three steps anyone can learn to control bleeding while waiting for first responders to arrive: apply pressure to the wound, pack the wound, and if the bleeding is severe enough and is on an arm or leg, apply a tourniquet above the wound.

"ACS Stop the Bleed training can turn beachgoers or bystanders into lifesavers, " Dr. Shapiro said. "When an injury happens, there won't be any special effects or Bruce the shark—nothing except the skills that you have. This isn't Hollywood. Bleeding control is the so-called plot twist that saves a life."