Petting sharks has become an increasingly popular bucket list item, fueled by daring Instagram posts and reality TV moments. But should interacting with these apex predators in this way be on your radar?
Here’s a quick answer: while some species of small sharks can be docile enough to tolerate human touch, petting sharks carries serious risks which outweigh any potential reward.
In this nearly 3,000 word guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know before attempting to pet a shark, including:
An overview of shark behavior and reaction to human interaction
Specific risks associated with getting too close or attempting to touch sharks
The ethical concerns with promoting close interactions for entertainment
Firsthand accounts of petting sharks (the good and the bad)
Expert opinions on whether sharks actually enjoy or benefit from human touch
Shark Behavior and Response to Touch
Sharks Are Defined by Independence and Wariness
Sharks are often portrayed as mindless killing machines in pop culture, but in reality they are highly intelligent, cautious animals. Sharks tend to be solitary creatures that avoid close contact and interaction.
This independent nature likely developed as an evolutionary adaptation to avoid conflict and confrontation with other large marine predators.
While sharks do not enjoy being pet or touched, their wariness should not be confused with aggression. Sharks will usually swim away when encountering unknown objects, including divers. They prefer to keep their distance until they can fully assess if something is a threat.
Sharks rely on their electrical, visual, auditory, and olfactory senses to constantly scan their surroundings.
Signs of Agitation vs. Calm Behavior
Sharks display obvious body language when they feel threatened or agitated. Warning signs include arching the back, pointing the pectoral fins downwards, and exaggerated swimming movements. A shark may also hunch its body, lower its head, and make quick turns.
These behaviors signal the shark is ready to flee if the perceived threat escalates.
In contrast, a calm shark will swim slowly with its pectoral fins held flat and head level. Relaxed fins and gill movements indicate the shark does not feel the need to ready itself for retreat. While not receptive to touch, a calm shark may linger nearby or curiously circle unknown objects.
Misconceptions Around Shark “Attacks”
The concept of a shark “attack” is largely unfounded. Sharks bite unknown objects out of curiosity and confusion, not bloodthirsty aggression. In fact, only 10 people are bitten by sharks in the U.S. each year, compared to over 300,000 Americans bitten annually by other humans in New York City alone!
Sharks have extremely sensitive electroreceptors in their snouts used to detect prey. A shark may non-aggressively bite an object to better understand it, similar to a human using their hands for tactile exploration.
Unfortunately, due to their strength and sharp teeth, these investigative bites do serious damage.
Risks and Dangers of Petting Sharks
Potential for Accidental Bites or Collision Injuries
Despite their fearsome reputation, sharks rarely attack humans on purpose. However, their razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws can still cause serious injuries, even by accident. Sharks have poor vision and may mistake hands or feet for prey.
Even an exploratory or playful bite from a shark can lead to deep lacerations or loss of digits. There’s also risk of cuts from shark skin or fin spines if petted at the wrong angle.
Sharks are also very strong swimmers that can suddenly swerve or change direction. Flailing tails or midsections could collide with divers, breaking bones or causing internal injuries. According to the International Shark Attack File, around 80 unprovoked shark bites occur worldwide each year, mainly from poor visibility or mistaken identity.
Petting sharks raises the chances of these accidental impacts.
Spread of Illness and Parasites
Like most fish, sharks can transmit a variety of illnesses to humans including salmonella, streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria. They also harbor external parasites like copepods that could theoretically spread to divers. However, shark-to-human disease transmission is extremely rare.
The CDC reports zero cases of illness direct from a shark. There are also no known instances of humans contracting external parasites like copepods from sharks.
While outbreaks are unlikely, it’s still smart to take precautions like wearing gloves when handling sharks and disinfecting wetsuits or equipment afterwards. This minimizes any potential risk of transmitting bacteria, viruses or parasites from petting sharks in the wild.
Most reputable shark dive operators will also instruct guests on proper sanitary procedures.
Disrupting Natural Behavior
Some sharks, especially pelagic species like ocean whitetips, are very wary of humans and spook easily when approached. Constant human contact can lead to chronic stress for these sensitive shark species. Signs of distress include ragged breathing, nose rubbing and restless swimming.
Stress leaves sharks more vulnerable to health issues and disrupts natural behaviors like hunting, migration and mating.
Other sharks, like nurse sharks, are much more tolerant of divers. But mobbing or excessive petting could still divert them from normal routines. It’s best to admire sharks without contact, give them space and avoid sudden movements or noises.
Responsible shark diving means appreciating their grace without interfering in the underwater world.
The Ethics of Shark Encounters for Entertainment
Stress Effects of Captivity and Handling
Keeping sharks in captivity for public entertainment like aquarium exhibits or touch pools can be incredibly stressful for these apex predators. Sharks are not domesticated animals and evolved to swim vast ocean territories.
Confining them to small tanks prevents natural behaviors like long-distance migration and hunting. This can cause physical health problems from lack of exercise, psychological stress from boredom, and aggression from overcrowding with other sharks.
Frequent human handling also stresses sharks as they do not like physical contact. One study found captive sharks had higher blood stress hormone levels than wild sharks.
While serious injuries to humans are rare, stressed captive sharks may bite or become aggressive when touched. Many experts argue that confinement is unethical when it harms sharks’ well-being solely for public amusement, not conservation.
Someaquariums like the Monterey Bay Aquarium have stopped public touch pools, feeling hands-on interaction promotes mistreatment of sharks when many species are endangered in the wild.
Promoting Public Safety vs. Public Engagement
Aquariums face a dilemma between maximizing guest interactions with sharks for education and money-making while ensuring human and shark safety. Proponents argue closely encountering sharks dispels fear and teaches appreciation for marine life.
But critics counter that promoting shark touching misrepresents the danger of unprotected contact with powerful predators. It may encourage reckless behavior toward wild sharks that expect no human handling.
Potential solutions include stronger safety protocols like only allowing staff to handle sharks, focusing public touch pools on gentler species like bamboo or nurse sharks, or using VR technology to simulate touching without stressing real animals.
Ultimately, human entertainment must be balanced with animal welfare and modeling ethical behavior when encountering magnificent creatures like sharks. As shark populations decline worldwide, aquariums should lead by example in promoting awe for sharks without intrusive hands-on access in the name of money-making and amusement.
Firsthand Accounts of Petting Shark Experiences
Organized Shark Dives
Shark diving has become an increasingly popular activity amongst thrill-seekers and marine life enthusiasts. Many dive operators around the world now offer the chance to swim with sharks in a controlled environment.
Most dives take place in known shark habitats using diving cages or at sites where sharks have become accustomed to human visitors. Participants are briefed on shark behavior and given instructions to remain calm and avoid sudden movements.
While divers are advised against touching sharks, some report having incredible close encounters. An article in Scuba Diving Magazine described an experience petting a 7-foot Galapagos shark that slowly swam by a cage dive in the Bahamas, calling it “the thrill of a lifetime.”
According to https://www.sharkdiver.com/, many shark species, like nurse sharks and Caribbean reef sharks, can become acclimated to human touch when regularly exposed to divers. However, experts warn that these interactions should only take place under professional supervision, as sharks remain unpredictable wild animals.
Trying to touch an unfamiliar or agitated shark would be extremely dangerous.
Illegal Captive Interactions
While shark petting can be done safely in their natural environment, some disreputable companies illegally capture sharks and keep them contained for public interaction programs. Since sharks are apex predators unsuited for captivity, this practice raises major animal welfare concerns.
Many experts consider it unethical due to the high mortality rate and stressed behavior observed among confined sharks. According to wildlife conservation groups like World Animal Protection, captive shark attractions negatively impact wild populations through illegal harvesting.
They also promote public misconceptions of sharks as tame creatures.
Investigative reporting has exposed inhumane conditions at unregulated shark touch pools in shopping malls and roadside attractions around the world. At these sites, visitors report being able to freely pet captured sharks and rays with little oversight.
However, undercover footage reveals sharks and rays suffering from disease and injuries after being constantly handled, often leading to premature death. While those who pet captive sharks may have good intentions, their money supports an industry built on exploitation and suffering.
Wild Shark Encounters
Rare accounts of people touching sharks in uncontrolled environments provide sobering warnings against intentional interaction. In 2018, Instagram videos of two swimmers gently grabbing the dorsal fins of wild blacktip reef sharks in French Polynesia sparked outrage amongst marine biologists.
While the sharks did not exhibit aggression, experts strongly cautioned against this reckless behavior that could provoke an attack. Trying to touch a wild shark also runs the risk of habitat disruption and viral transmission between species.
However, some unsolicited shark encounters result in gentle curiosity. Speaking to National Geographic, surfer Evan Singleton described an incident where a juvenile great white shark bumped against his board, allowing him to touch its back.
Marine biologist Dr. Craig O’Connell speculates that younger sharks may investigate unknown objects and people without harmful intent, though such interactions are entirely chance situations. Ultimately, while a rare wild shark may allow physical contact, experts agree deliberately petting or provoking them for any reason remains extremely dangerous and inadvisable.
The Verdict: Do Sharks Enjoy Being Pet?
Lack of Evidence for Benefits
When it comes to petting sharks, the verdict is still out. There is limited scientific research on whether sharks enjoy physical contact with humans. Sharks are often portrayed as solitary predators and their behavior in the wild does not indicate a strong need for social bonding or physical touch.
However, each shark has its own unique personality. Some may tolerate or even appear to enjoy gentle touch, while others are likely to become stressed or agitated. Petting captive sharks under controlled conditions may provide sensory enrichment, but the benefits are debatable.
Physical handling should be minimal. While certain shark species like nurse sharks can be docile, they are still powerful animals equipped with sharp teeth. Well-intentioned petting risks accidential bites or injuries.
It can also disrupt the shark’s protective mucus layer, leaving them vulnerable to infection.
Responsible aquariums and research facilities avoid unnecessary interaction. They focus on health, safety and mimicking the shark’s natural habitat. More data is needed to determine if and when sharks positively respond to human touch.
Individual Nature of Shark Personalities
Every shark has a unique personality shaped by genetics and life experiences. These individual differences likely influence their receptiveness to physical contact.
Some known factors are:
- Species – Nurse sharks tend to be calmer and more adaptable than reef sharks.
- Environment – Sharks in controlled settings may associate touch with positive reinforcement like food.
- Age – Younger sharks can exhibit more curiosity.
- Hunger Levels – Well-fed sharks are less likely to act aggressively.
- Training – Aquarium sharks conditioned through target training may enjoy rubs.
While personality plays a role, blanket statements about sharks liking or disliking touch are unfounded. Their behavioral diversity coupled with limited research makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.
The safest approach is to admire sharks at a distance. Let them reveal their temperament through behavior rather than make assumptions. With some individuals, gentle touch by experienced handlers may be appropriate but it should be the exception, not the rule.
Conclusion
While the idea of connecting physically with sharks continues to capture public imagination, the risks and ethical concerns simply do not justify petting interactions.
At best, some normally solitary shark species may tolerate brief, gentle touch from humans when conditioned or confronted in small spaces. But the practice promotes the false and dangerous notion that sharks are safe or even enjoyable animals to casually handle or treat as pets.
