It’s taken beachgoers nearly a half century to get over the traumatizing effect of the horror film Jaws and once again experience carefree play at their favorite vacation spots.  Now, thanks to a shocking new drone study of sharks, many people may find themselves retreating to the shore again.

The study, conducted over a two-year period off the coast of southern California reveals that ocean swimmers are exposed to juvenile sharks within striking distance a whopping 97% of the time – yet they rarely know it.  The sharks swim within a foot or two of waders, swimmers, surfers and paddle-boarders but actual encounters, let alone shark attacks, are relatively rare, the study shows.

“Frankly, we were shocked,” Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of CSULB Shark Lab, told the Boston Herald last week. “Sharks would interact with people every single day, multiple times a day, and they would just swim by.”

The researchers learned of the phenomenon by flying drones near so-called shark aggregation centers where they typically forage for food – mainly small fish  More than 1,500 drone surveys were conducted from 2019 through 2021 across 26 different southern California beaches to see how often humans and sharks were found in the same area.  The drone film footage often prompts gasps from viewers who expect an imminent attack.  In fact, not a single attack was recorded during the two-year study, Lowe says.

In some ways, that finding is not surprising. Research indicates that shark attacks are extremely rare – less than a dozen occur annually worldwide, in fact –  and they’re rarer still when the sharks are juveniles that are likely intimidated by the larger size of the humans in their midst.

But there is mounting evidence that sharks are encroaching on the nation’s beaches, and the risk of human contact with surfers, waders, swimmers and paddle boarders is growing, experts say.

Some analysts believe the problem is a result of climate change which has warned many coastal waters and brought sharks closer to shore to feed.  In addition, conservation efforts may have boosted the fish stocks increasing the appeal of foraging in the warmer coastal waters, shark experts say.

New York is beginning to take extra precautions about potential shark attacks by more than doubling – from 8 to 18 – the size of the coastal drone surveillance team deployed by the state’s Parks and Recreation Department.  Last month, in anticipation of the coming beach tourism season, the state’s governor, Mary Hochul approved the heightened deployment.

Researchers say the situation in Cape Cod – where Jaws was filmed and provoked fears of shark attack for years – may be somewhat more precarious because of the presence of seals that have taken up residence along the coast, attracting the interest of the fearsome Great White Shark depicted in the infamous horror movie.

Shark researchers like Lowe in southern California say it is incumbent upon more states to fund comprehensive drone studies to better understand shark-human interactions and to help deter future shark attacks.  In the short term, improved drone surveillance will likely cause more beaches to suspend public access once a shark is sighted, damaging local tourism.

But the long-term economic effects of a documented shark attack that might have been prevented would be far devastating, they argue.

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