Sharks don’t need statistics. They need understanding.

Every time sharks come up in conversation, someone inevitably reaches for a statistic.

“You’re more likely to die crossing the road.”

“More people are killed by cows.”

“Snakes are more dangerous than sharks.”

It’s usually said with good intentions, but for people who swim in the ocean, it rarely helps.

Not because the numbers are wrong, but because the comparison makes no sense.

Sharks don’t live on roads. They don’t live in cars. They don’t live in paddocks.

They live in the ocean.

And if you’re an ocean swimmer, that’s the only context that matters.

Why comparing sharks to car accidents misses the mark

Shark interactions aren’t random events sprinkled across everyday life. They’re tied to a very specific environment, with very specific conditions.

When we lump shark risk in with unrelated causes of death, we strip away the things that actually help people feel calmer and more in control.

Things like:

• where you swim
• when you swim
• what species are common along that stretch of coast
• what’s happening in the water that day

Unlike many everyday risks, ocean swimming gives you agency. You can make informed choices. You can adjust your habits. You can learn.

That’s empowering, not scary.

Sharks live in the ocean, but they live rent free in our heads

Here’s the quiet truth.

Sharks are always in the ocean. They always have been.

What changes isn’t their presence, it’s our awareness.

A headline, a social media post, a conversation that spirals, and suddenly sharks are everywhere in our minds, even if nothing has changed in the water.

Fear grows when imagination fills the gaps left by understanding.

And that’s where education matters.

Being shark smart is about reading the ocean, not fearing it

Being “shark smart” isn’t about pretending there’s no risk. It’s about understanding when the risk is lowest and stacking the odds in your favour.

That starts with local knowledge.

• What types of sharks are commonly found along your coast?
• Are they transient or resident?
• When are they more likely to be moving through?
• What conditions attract feeding activity?
• How do light levels, water temperature, and bait fish influence behaviour?

These are practical, learnable things. And once you understand them, the ocean feels less mysterious and far less threatening.

Most experienced ocean swimmers naturally do this already. They choose calmer mornings. They avoid certain conditions. They swim in groups. They pay attention.

Not because they’re fearless, but because they’re informed.

Confidence comes from understanding, not denial

The goal isn’t to “be brave” or to talk yourself out of fear with unrelated statistics.

The goal is to replace vague anxiety with clear understanding.

Sharks are part of the ocean ecosystem. They belong there.

So do ocean swimmers, when we enter with respect, awareness, and knowledge.

The ocean doesn’t need us to ignore reality.

It rewards us for learning how it works.

And that’s where real confidence comes from.

Related: Sharks live in the ocean, but they don’t have to live rent free in our heads, read more in Everything is teeth: When sharks live in the water, and in our heads on oceanswims.com.