I believe that Fanning was not attacked at all. The shark's tail fin is what can be seen thrashing at the surface, pointing at a downward angle. This is indicative that the shark simply got caught in his surfboard leash and then panicked so attempted to swim downwards with Fanning still attached to the leash. However, as soon as the leash broke Fanning was released and unharmed.
If it was an attack the shark would have approached at an upward angle under the board, but it was simply curious as to what Fanning was. It frustrates me that the media have yet again sensationalised and embellished this story to evoke fear and hatred for sharks. In fact, it was a missed opportunity for a positive story demonstrating how sharks don't necessarily target and attack people, this was a simple entanglement accident, not an attack.
However, I do applaud South Africa for not reacting to this incident with kill orders and culls, like is happening in too many other parts of the world.
Scuba Diva article is quite scary, but that is a reality. There is nothing to do with that and people should know about the danger under the water and be aware of dangerous places. I have written an article on a topic of Ocean swimming rules and a series of articles dedicated to a writing tips at Writers Per Hour.
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