2010 Sharm el-Sheikh shark attacks
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Sharm el-Sheikh shark attacks were a series of attacks by sharks
on swimmers off the Red Sea
resort of Sharm el-Sheikh
in Egypt
. On 1 December 2010, three Russia
ns and one Ukrainian
were seriously injured within minutes of each other, and on 5 December 2010 a German
woman was killed, when they were attacked while wading or snorkeling near the shoreline. The attacks were described as “unprecedented” by shark experts.
In response to the attacks, beaches in the popular tourist resort were closed for over a week, dozens of sharks were captured and killed, and the local government issued new rules banning shark feeding and restricting swimming. A variety of theories were put forward to explain the attacks. By late December 2010, the most plausible theory to emerge was that the dumping of sheep carcass
es in the Red Sea by a livestock transport had attracted the sharks to the shore. Other theories focused on overfishing in the Red Sea, to the illegal or inadvertent feeding of sharks or smaller fish close to the shore, which produced scents that attracted more sharks. The attacks also sparked conspiracy theories
about the possible involvement of the Israel
i spy agency, the Mossad
.
. An unnamed 54-year-old Russian man suffered serious leg wounds, requiring a partial amputation, while 49-year-old Ukrainian Oleksandr Dykusarov also suffered leg injuries but was well enough to leave hospital the following day.
Lyudmilla Stolyarova’s husband Vladimir said: “I ran up to her and could hear her gasping ‘Shark! Shark! Shark!’ She somehow managed to push the shark away from her. The shark bit off her arm, but she managed to swim closer to the shore. Before she got out of the water, the shark attacked again and bit off her foot.” Other witnesses described the attack on Olga Martynenko. “The woman managed to swim to the pier, but when people on the pier started pulling her out of the water, the shark bit off the woman’s left buttock,” one said. “She lost a lot of blood. There were tourists on the pier, and they helped to pull the woman out. Some of them were slapping the shark off with rubber fins. There were no rescuers on the pier during the moment when it all happened. A rescuer was running up to us from afar. There were neither cords, nor stretchers at hand. We used a swimsuit to block the blood flow from the gaping wound and grabbed a sun bed to carry the woman to the shore.”
The attacks on the two men were witnessed from the shore. A barman witnessed one of the victims “running from the sea with blood streaming from gashes in his leg.” The other male victim had to be rescued by members of a local diving centre. According to the barman, “the sea went red ... [his foot] was gone”.
In response, officials closed the beaches and suspended all diving and watersports activities. Specialists from the Egyptian environment ministry were called in to investigate the incidents and caught a 2.25 metres (7.4 ft)-long oceanic whitetip shark
weighing 150 kilograms (330.7 lb) that was claimed to be the one responsible for the attacks. The shark was “identified” by a local diver who claimed to have recognized the fish by its damaged fin. A mako
shark that was 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) long and weighed 250 kilograms (551.2 lb) was also caught. However, divers and conservationists said the captured sharks were not the same as the one that had been seen and photographed in the area shortly before the attacks.
The attacks had a drastic effect on the local tourist industry
. Mohamed Rashad, a bartender at the al-Bahr beach restaurant who was working at the time of the attack, said: “All the people ran away back to the hotel, no one wanted to stay on the beach. Now it’s very quiet. People are scared to come to the beach. They are just coming to the bar to have a drink. They don’t even want to stay on the sunbeds.”
The Egyptian authorities reopened the beaches on 4 December following the capture of the sharks. The following day, 5 December, a 71-year-old German woman, who had visited the resort for 11 years, was killed by a shark while swimming in Naama Bay near the Hyatt
hotel. Jochen Van Lysebettens, of the Red Sea Diving College, saw the attack, and told Sky News
: “Suddenly there was a scream of help and a lot of violence in the water. The lifeguard got her on the reef and he noticed she was severely wounded.” According to local officials, her arm was severed in the attack and she died within minutes.
Following the attacks, watersports activities were again suspended, though it was expected that scuba diving—which is considered to be at far less risk from shark attacks—would soon be allowed to resume. The Egyptian authorities engaged international shark experts to assess the situation and propose a solution. The Egyptian ministry of tourism also announced the injured tourists would each be offered $50,000 in compensation, paid for by the local tourist industry.
The attacks were widely described as "unprecedented" both in media reports and by Samuel H. Gruber, a marine biologist who studies sharks at the Bimini Biological Field Station in Miami
, Florida
.
Sharks are commonly seen near Sharm el-Sheikh but attacks on humans are very rare, particularly by the two species implicated in the 2010 attacks. Only nine attacks by oceanic whitetips had been reported worldwide in the last 430 years and only one had been previously fatal. However, Famed oceanographic researcher Jacques Cousteau described the oceanic whitetip as "the most dangerous of all sharks". Despite the greater notoriety of the great white shark
and other sharks habitually found nearer the shore, the oceanic whitetip is responsible for more fatal attacks on humans than all other species combined, as a result of predation on survivors of shipwrecks or downed aircraft. Such incidents are not included in common shark-attack indices for the 20th and 21st centuries, and as a result of this, the oceanic whitetip does not have the highest number of recorded incidents; only 5 recorded attacks as of 2009. The chairman of the Shark Trust
, a British charity dedicated to shark conservation, commented: “It is probable that the tragic attacks were triggered by a specific activity or event... Attacks on humans by sharks are extremely rare and this species would normally not be found close to shore on bathing beaches.” However it ought to be noted that in this location the water depth drops off dramatically close to shore and does not indicate a change in behaviour of this species of shark. Mohammed Salam of the South Sinai Conservation organisation, a government body responsible for environmental protection in the area, said that “usually these kinds of sharks don’t attack human beings but sometimes they have trouble with their nervous system and they accidentally go after people.”
The chairperson of the Sharm el-Sheikh Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS) suggested that attacks might have been due to overfishing
, which is an ongoing problem in the area. In a statement, Hesham Gabr said: “It is clear from our initial discussions with shark behavioural experts that this highly unusual spate of attacks by an oceanic whitetip shark was triggered by an activity, most probably illegal fishing or feeding in the area.”
Other hypotheses that have been put forward include the possibility that cattle ships transporting sheep for slaughter during the Islam
ic festival of Eid al-Adha on 16 November may have dumped sheep carcasses overboard, bringing sharks unusually close to the shoreline. Unscrupulous diving companies were also blamed for feeding sharks to attract them for their clients.
On 9 December 2010, an international team of experts announced that it had found that two species—makos and oceanic whitetips—had been involved in the attacks. It listed possible contributory factors as including “one or more incidents of illegal dumping of animal carcasses in nearby waters; depletion of natural prey in the area caused by overfishing; localised feeding of reef fish and/or sharks by swimmers, snorkellers and some divers; and unusually high water temperatures
in Sharm el Sheikh.”
pointed out that GPS devices are used by marine biologists to track sharks, not to remote-control them. Governor Shousha himself ultimately said he thought the dumping of sheep carcasses was the most likely explanation.
Shark attack
A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year around 60 shark attacks are reported worldwide, although death is quite unusual. Despite the relative rarity of shark attacks, the fear of sharks is a common phenomenon, having been fueled by the occasional instances of serial attacks,...
on swimmers off the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
resort of Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 35,000...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. On 1 December 2010, three Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns and one Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
were seriously injured within minutes of each other, and on 5 December 2010 a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
woman was killed, when they were attacked while wading or snorkeling near the shoreline. The attacks were described as “unprecedented” by shark experts.
In response to the attacks, beaches in the popular tourist resort were closed for over a week, dozens of sharks were captured and killed, and the local government issued new rules banning shark feeding and restricting swimming. A variety of theories were put forward to explain the attacks. By late December 2010, the most plausible theory to emerge was that the dumping of sheep carcass
Carcass
Carcass may refer to:*Cadaver of a human, or carrion of an animal.*Carcass , a death metal/grindcore band*Carcass , a type of incendiary ammunition designed to be fired from a cannon, three ships of the Royal Navy...
es in the Red Sea by a livestock transport had attracted the sharks to the shore. Other theories focused on overfishing in the Red Sea, to the illegal or inadvertent feeding of sharks or smaller fish close to the shore, which produced scents that attracted more sharks. The attacks also sparked conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
about the possible involvement of the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i spy agency, the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
.
Attacks
The first attacks occurred on 1 December, when four people were attacked within minutes of each other in the Ra's Nasrani area. 48-year-old Olga Martynenko suffered a severe spinal injury and wounds to her hands and legs, while 70-year-old Lyudmila Stolyarova lost her right hand and left leg. Both had to have their injured limbs partly amputatedAmputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
. An unnamed 54-year-old Russian man suffered serious leg wounds, requiring a partial amputation, while 49-year-old Ukrainian Oleksandr Dykusarov also suffered leg injuries but was well enough to leave hospital the following day.
Lyudmilla Stolyarova’s husband Vladimir said: “I ran up to her and could hear her gasping ‘Shark! Shark! Shark!’ She somehow managed to push the shark away from her. The shark bit off her arm, but she managed to swim closer to the shore. Before she got out of the water, the shark attacked again and bit off her foot.” Other witnesses described the attack on Olga Martynenko. “The woman managed to swim to the pier, but when people on the pier started pulling her out of the water, the shark bit off the woman’s left buttock,” one said. “She lost a lot of blood. There were tourists on the pier, and they helped to pull the woman out. Some of them were slapping the shark off with rubber fins. There were no rescuers on the pier during the moment when it all happened. A rescuer was running up to us from afar. There were neither cords, nor stretchers at hand. We used a swimsuit to block the blood flow from the gaping wound and grabbed a sun bed to carry the woman to the shore.”
The attacks on the two men were witnessed from the shore. A barman witnessed one of the victims “running from the sea with blood streaming from gashes in his leg.” The other male victim had to be rescued by members of a local diving centre. According to the barman, “the sea went red ... [his foot] was gone”.
Oceanic whitetip shark
The oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, is a large pelagic shark inhabiting tropical and warm temperate seas. Its stocky body is most notable for its long, white-tipped, rounded fins....
weighing 150 kilograms (330.7 lb) that was claimed to be the one responsible for the attacks. The shark was “identified” by a local diver who claimed to have recognized the fish by its damaged fin. A mako
Isurus
Isurus is a genus of mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae, commonly known as the mako sharks. There are two living species, the common shortfin mako shark and the rare longfin mako shark , and several extinct species known from fossils. They range in length from 9 to 15 feet, and have an...
shark that was 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) long and weighed 250 kilograms (551.2 lb) was also caught. However, divers and conservationists said the captured sharks were not the same as the one that had been seen and photographed in the area shortly before the attacks.
The attacks had a drastic effect on the local tourist industry
Tourism in Egypt
Tourism is one of the most important sectors in Egypt's economy. More than 12.8 million tourists visited Egypt in 2008, providing revenues of nearly $11 billion. The sector employs about 12 percent of Egypt's workforce. -History:...
. Mohamed Rashad, a bartender at the al-Bahr beach restaurant who was working at the time of the attack, said: “All the people ran away back to the hotel, no one wanted to stay on the beach. Now it’s very quiet. People are scared to come to the beach. They are just coming to the bar to have a drink. They don’t even want to stay on the sunbeds.”
The Egyptian authorities reopened the beaches on 4 December following the capture of the sharks. The following day, 5 December, a 71-year-old German woman, who had visited the resort for 11 years, was killed by a shark while swimming in Naama Bay near the Hyatt
Hyatt
Hyatt Hotels Corporation , is an international operator of hotels.Hyatt Center is the headquarters for Hyatt corporation...
hotel. Jochen Van Lysebettens, of the Red Sea Diving College, saw the attack, and told Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
: “Suddenly there was a scream of help and a lot of violence in the water. The lifeguard got her on the reef and he noticed she was severely wounded.” According to local officials, her arm was severed in the attack and she died within minutes.
Following the attacks, watersports activities were again suspended, though it was expected that scuba diving—which is considered to be at far less risk from shark attacks—would soon be allowed to resume. The Egyptian authorities engaged international shark experts to assess the situation and propose a solution. The Egyptian ministry of tourism also announced the injured tourists would each be offered $50,000 in compensation, paid for by the local tourist industry.
The attacks were widely described as "unprecedented" both in media reports and by Samuel H. Gruber, a marine biologist who studies sharks at the Bimini Biological Field Station in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Possible causes
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
and other sharks habitually found nearer the shore, the oceanic whitetip is responsible for more fatal attacks on humans than all other species combined, as a result of predation on survivors of shipwrecks or downed aircraft. Such incidents are not included in common shark-attack indices for the 20th and 21st centuries, and as a result of this, the oceanic whitetip does not have the highest number of recorded incidents; only 5 recorded attacks as of 2009. The chairman of the Shark Trust
Shark Trust
Shark Trust is a charitable organization founded in the UK in 1997"dedicated to promoting the study, management, and conservation of sharks,skates and rays in the UK and internationally."....
, a British charity dedicated to shark conservation, commented: “It is probable that the tragic attacks were triggered by a specific activity or event... Attacks on humans by sharks are extremely rare and this species would normally not be found close to shore on bathing beaches.” However it ought to be noted that in this location the water depth drops off dramatically close to shore and does not indicate a change in behaviour of this species of shark. Mohammed Salam of the South Sinai Conservation organisation, a government body responsible for environmental protection in the area, said that “usually these kinds of sharks don’t attack human beings but sometimes they have trouble with their nervous system and they accidentally go after people.”
The chairperson of the Sharm el-Sheikh Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS) suggested that attacks might have been due to overfishing
Overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
, which is an ongoing problem in the area. In a statement, Hesham Gabr said: “It is clear from our initial discussions with shark behavioural experts that this highly unusual spate of attacks by an oceanic whitetip shark was triggered by an activity, most probably illegal fishing or feeding in the area.”
Other hypotheses that have been put forward include the possibility that cattle ships transporting sheep for slaughter during the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic festival of Eid al-Adha on 16 November may have dumped sheep carcasses overboard, bringing sharks unusually close to the shoreline. Unscrupulous diving companies were also blamed for feeding sharks to attract them for their clients.
On 9 December 2010, an international team of experts announced that it had found that two species—makos and oceanic whitetips—had been involved in the attacks. It listed possible contributory factors as including “one or more incidents of illegal dumping of animal carcasses in nearby waters; depletion of natural prey in the area caused by overfishing; localised feeding of reef fish and/or sharks by swimmers, snorkellers and some divers; and unusually high water temperatures
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
in Sharm el Sheikh.”
Israel conspiracy theory
The attacks also sparked conspiracy theories about possible Israeli involvement. Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha, the governor of South Sinai, told the state news website egynews.net: “What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark [in the sea] to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm.” Egyptian television broadcast claims that Israeli divers had captured a shark with a GPS unit planted on its back. Describing the theory as “sad”, Professor Mahmoud Hanafy of the Suez Canal UniversitySuez Canal University
The Suez Canal University is an Egyptian university serving the Suez Canal area, having its faculties divided among the Suez Canal governerates . It was established in 1976. It is notable for its non-classic research...
pointed out that GPS devices are used by marine biologists to track sharks, not to remote-control them. Governor Shousha himself ultimately said he thought the dumping of sheep carcasses was the most likely explanation.
External links
- Red Sea Jaws - The Passionate Eye (CBC NewsCBC NewsCBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
)