captainkaos said...
usually when thay attack one of us its because they think we are a seal or other marine creature.
This is a big part of it. A lot of attacks are also just inquisitive bites not just mistaken identity. Similar to how a human baby will put things in it's mouth when investigating new objects, sharks bite things to find out what they are; they don't have real limbs after all. You see this all the time when GWS chomp on someones outboard on their boat or munch the side of a shark cage. It's not aggression, it's curiosity. Same as what a dog pup does. Chews on your hand, with no malicious intent.
Unfortunately when a GWS takes an inquisitive bite, well, the results can easily be fatal; especially when legs are involved. Doesn't take long to bleed out. This is why humans are rarely ever actually eaten. The shark realises you're not part of its normal diet and moves on, leaving the victim dead or dying.
Having said that, sometimes the shark just wants to smash and eat you, pure and simple. This is when they tend to give them the term 'rouge shark', although they tend to use the term too loosely these days.
At the end of the day, it's a tragic thing. The only way to avoid it for sure is to not go in the water, but for most of us here that just isn't an option. So those of us that accept the risk should also accept the consequences. I've lost mates while mountaineering and I look at it exactly the same. We chose to go into the high mountains and we sure as hell knew the risk. Sometimes the unlikely becomes reality and you have to accept what happens and blame gets you no where.
