More than 70 species of sharks live in the Greek seas. However, experts say there has been an increase in the presence of white sharks in particular over the past ten years.
After the last two appearances of dangerous marine predators in Glyfada And hairbathers “tremble with fear” as they enter the sea.
In particular, a 3.5 meter long shark was spotted in the port of Volos on the morning of Easter Sunday, spreading terror in the area, and in Glyfada last week the shark “cut circles” at the pier, and in Volos it surprised the townspeople by wandering into shallow water.
These large sea creatures are a terror to swimmers as they have become a frequent sighting in Greek waters, causing concern.
The search for food led to the discovery of blue sharka phenomenon that, according to the director of the Archipelago Institute of Maritime Protection, Theodoris Tsimpidis, is completely normal.
In a conversation with Newsbomb.gr Thodoris Tsimpidis explained that the appearance of sharks is not unprecedented, as this species has been living in our seas for thousands of years, from shallow waters to depths of approximately 1000 meters. At the same time, he emphasized that while sharks are young, they live in shallow water, and when they grow up, they go to depth.
A shark spotted in the shallow waters of Glyfada's second marina among boats caused panic. As Thodoris Tsimpidis explained, they came here in search of food. Also, the fish are in spawning season, so they head to shallow waters.
However, sharks are not dangerous. In fact, Mr. Tsibidis stated that people shouldn't panic. Among other things, he said that we should all be educated about marine life. For those who deal with the sea, the sight of a blue shark is a common sight, but those who are unfamiliar at first need to remain calm.
“As summer approaches, we are unlikely to see sharks as these species do not want to coexist with humans. If a shark sees a large object, it will not attack. We are not in danger from sharks, the sharks are in danger from us,” he said.
He added: “Shark attack accidents occur mainly in America, Australia, Africa and Egypt. In these four countries, animals are driven into shallow water to be photographed, which “does not lead to good results.” If anyone sees a shark, they should remain calm and slowly head towards shore. We shouldn't panic,” he added.
“The problem is that we lack knowledge about the marine world,” he emphasized. Some of the reported but unconfirmed shark attacks in Greece include:
- In 1847, a ship of the 36th Worcestershire Battalion arriving in Corfu lost a 19-year-old British soldier who was reportedly attacked by a shark while swimming in the northern part of the island.
- In 1903, two deaths due to shark attacks were recorded in Crete.
- On September 22, 1948, a fisherman was fatally attacked by a “giant shark,” as it was described.
- On August 17, 1951, in Mon Repos, Corfu, a 16-year-old girl was attacked by a shark and died. Her 17-year-old boyfriend escaped injury.
- In 1956, a 15-year-old girl was fatally attacked by an unknown shark in Corfu.
- On June 1, 1963, Austrian writer and philologist Helga Pogl was swallowed while swimming just 3 meters from the shore in Pagasitikos Gulf. Wilken's friend was an eyewitness and described the great white shark.
- In 1981, a shark attack on an Austrian tourist was recorded in the Pagasitikos area without any further evidence.
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