Galeophobia
[/ʃɑːk/] n.Fear of sharks
The fear of sharks. Evolution made it happen, a 1975 film made it worse, and it can stop some people from ever going swimming again.
We’re going to need a smaller boat
The fear of sharks is gradually on its way out. The last few years saw a 19% decline in searches for the seafaring foe, which is no surprise – we haven’t been spending as much time at holiday resorts recently, where sharks are most likely to strike.
Globally, only 5,400 people suffer from galeophobia, with the bulk – 1,900 – living in the USA. The UK is only home to 590 sufferers, while Canada has even fewer at 210.
As for Australia, well, not even a shark with eight legs running up a high building would scare them. Only 10 people searched for the condition all year.
They’d never hurt you…
But every year there are around
80 unprovoked attacks.
What’s that in the water?
Galeophobia is another fear that came from our evolutionary desire to survive, but it was almost certainly made worse by a certain film from 1975. When Jaws was released in cinemas, it told a story of a huge, man-eating shark with a taste for human blood, something that isn’t regularly backed up by facts.
Sharks are attracted to the smell of blood. If you went into the sea bleeding, they may well sniff it out and see you as a snack. But if you just swam past one, they’d likely not even notice you, instead choosing to pass you by and pick on the scraps of previous fishy kills.
It’s an irrational fear, one that Hollywood used to its advantage.
It’s safe to get back in the water
Did you know it’s getting easier than ever to go swimming with sharks? That could be the best way to cure your fears.
- Watch Jaws. It ends well, ish
- Go shark spotting with expert guides
- Get in the water (in a protective shark cage, of course)