In wake of shark attack on Jersey Shore, expert offers tips on how to stay safe
POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. -- A teenager is lucky to have just walked away with cuts on her feet after being bitten by a shark down on the Jersey Shore.
Shark attacks are not everyday occurrences, but there are precautions you can take to stay safe.
With beach season right around the corner, victim Maggie Drozdowski's story of surviving a shark bite while surfing in Stone Harbor has got some thinking twice before taking a dip in the ocean.
"I go in the water when it's low tide and I go in further when I'm with my husband," said Kathy Meeker of Brick.
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Shark attacks are extremely rare. In fact, an organization that tracks them says the odds are 1 in 11 million.
"We're not in their food chains. So if you think about the things we eat and what a fish eats, we don't taste good to them," said Taylor Hartl, supervisor of sharks and Rays at Jenkinson's Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach.
Jenkinson's Aquarium houses a variety of shark species -- from a sand tiger shark affectionately named "Swaj" -- that's "Jaws" backward -- to "Junior," a nurse shark who cohabitates just fine with others.
Hartl said there are many reasons for rare, unprovoked shark attacks.
"If you are by yourself and not with a group of other people you could look like a seal or a sea turtle, which is a classic food item for a shark," Hartl said.
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Hartl recommends swimming in groups and avoiding what sharks are attracted to, like bright colors and shiny objects like jewelry. She also suggests not swimming by where people fish and to look for signs before entering the water.
"The fish will actually do what's called a 'bait ball,' and you'll see a fish jumping around," Hartl said.
"I thought I was going to have my foot amputated, but it didn't turn out to be that bad," Drozdowski said.
The teen said she is grateful it wasn't much worse, but experts again caution that shark bites like this are very uncommon and the best thing you can do to stay safe is to use common sense in the water.