What sharks are found in Hurghada. Dangerous encounter: sharks in Egypt
“A shark ate a woman!”, “Attack of toothy predators on Egypt!”- Russian airwaves were filled with such news at the end of 2010. Five years later, passions subsided, but another tragedy off the coast of Hurghada again shocked our compatriots. Russians still go to Africa. Some flippantly close their eyes, believing in “their own star,” while others promise themselves to be careful.
Is it possible today not to be afraid of attacks from bloodthirsty cannibals, what measures are the Egyptians taking to prevent shark attacks - this is what our story is about.
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History of all attacks
In one week in 2010, the Red Sea in the Sharm el-Sheikh area became truly red with the blood of the affected people.
November 30. A forty-eight-year-old Moscow resident opened a list of victims. Just 2 hours later, the predator met 70-year-old Lyudmila Stolyarova.
December 1st. Evgeny Trishkin, Victoria and Viktor Koliy faced mortal danger face to face.
Egyptian authorities have closed beaches in Sharm el-Sheikh. But after 3 days a message appeared that the shark had been caught. The resort has returned to its former life. Carefree vacationers boldly rushed into the depths of the sea.
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December 5th. An elderly German woman was attacked by a toothy creature right near the shore. The woman did not suffer severe blood loss.
22.03. 2017 In the El Kawther area of Hurghada, a giant cannibal attacked and bit off the leg of a German tourist. They were able to pull the man ashore, but he died from injuries and blood loss.
Viktor Koliy (fourth on the list of victims):
“The day before departure, our whole family swam in the sea, at the border where the reef ended and the depth began. We did not hear that the day before a shark attacked a person in this area, although we watched the news. I put on my mask and saw something big and gray at the bottom. The fish swam up to my leg and I hit it. Then he raised his head and shouted to his wife and son: “Shark! To the shore! At first she circled around me, and then headed towards my wife. I tried to jump on top of her and hit her again. I didn’t feel any bites myself, only strong tremors. He focused all his attention on the family - whether they could get to the beach. There were only 3 meters left to the shore when a terrible shadow appeared near his wife. The woman managed to notice her and literally jump onto land. My leg was bleeding, but these minor wounds were nothing compared to what could have happened. We were lucky, but the shock was huge.”
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Courage or stupidity?
Paradox: Egypt's beaches, which should have been deserted after the tragedies, turned out to be crowded with thrill-seekers.
In 2000, Konstantin Gorokhov opened the first Russian diving center in Sharm. Here are his impressions of the influx of tourists after the attack on people by terrible predators in 2010:
“Such madness has never happened before! In Sharm, the change of tourists occurs quite quickly. Everyone comes for 5-6 days, after which they fly away with their stories. The newcomers were not enriched by impressions when someone was being devoured by a toothy creature before their eyes. Therefore, their attitude to the problem is very frivolous. A change in cold climate, quick holiday romances, an all-inclusive system that provides unlimited access to not the highest quality alcohol, changes consciousness immediately. The real danger seems like a horror story, invented specifically to enhance the local flavor.”
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In the event of a total ban on swimming, Egyptians not only post relevant notices on the shore, but also install black flags in dangerous coastal areas. Our tourists calmly step over all prohibitions. A week after the tragedy, the Russians boldly declared: “We’ll go swimming! We came to Sinai for the sea and saw a shark not far from the pontoon. We saw them and fed them a bun from the hotel restaurant!”
Victor (diving instructor):
“Tourists have fun feeding fish near the shore. They are poorly aware of the danger. In fact, a harmless picture later becomes a bloody picture: one grandmother throws some bread into the water, and another grandmother is eaten by a fish that was fed near these places.”
Did you know that sharks have an incredible sense of smell? Special experiments were carried out to prove this statement. Meat was slowly lowered into the pool at a distance of 100 m from the predators. After 1 second the piece was swallowed.
Anastasia:
“I witnessed a situation where a mother and daughter reached the buoys. Mom swims across the buoys, and her daughter stops her: “You can’t go there!” To which the adult woman replies: “It’s more interesting there, let’s see the fish.” It's OK!" and continues to swim into the depths. Children can be smarter and more careful than their parents.”
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Causes of tragedies. Experts' opinion
On the pedestal of territories favored by sharks, the Egyptian country occupies a modest ninth place. Over the past 100-plus years, the attack in 2017 is only the eleventh case.
Some experts explain the aggression of sharks by a decrease in the food supply for predators: excessive industrial fishing forces animals to look for other food. Others admit the possibility of sabotage: the ship, heading to Jordan, had a cargo of live cattle on board. From time to time, dead livestock were thrown into the sea, and the toothy predators “flocked” for easy prey. Along with the version of the dumping of dead sheep, the possibility of natural complementary feeding was considered: one of the staff of hotel restaurants could have dumped the garbage right near the shore.
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It has been noticed that predators attack divers less often than just a person swimming. Obviously, the marine inhabitants take a diver in a suit and equipment as one of their own or simply cannot stand the plume of carbon dioxide bubbles and avoid such prey. Hobbyists are more likely to suffer from sea killers.
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Egyptian authorities are sounding the alarm
After a series of shark attacks on people in the Red Sea, a hunt for sea cannibals was announced in Egypt. It was then that a mako shark, atypical for the Red Sea, was caught, which no one had seen here for many years. Hundreds of shark species are found in the Red Sea, including about a dozen particularly aggressive ones. The long-winged shark, which kept law-abiding Europeans in fear in 2010, is distinguished by the fact that it can swim up to one and a half meters to the coastline. This means that its victim could be a small child building Easter cakes in the surf, or a particularly cautious tourist who does not risk going into the water above his waist.
Several groups of scientists were involved in the search for the culprit of the “Sinai commotion.” It was suggested that it was not a “serial cannibal maniac” operating in coastal waters, but several sharks. Russian scientists denied this version.
A. Kasumyan (professor-ichthyologist):
“Most likely, this is one individual. Fish quickly develop conditioned feeding habits, and once a shark has tasted human blood, it will try to repeat its experience.”
Concerned Egyptians caught several Jaws followers, but to no avail. No traces of bloody violence were found in the stomachs of the killed animals; they were not involved in the tragedies in Naama Bay.
It is impossible to predict the actions of sharks. Local authorities interested in the influx of tourists are trying to take precautions:
- feeding fish and dumping restaurant waste into the sea is prohibited;
- instructors on the beach are instructed to: monitor the coastal waters from towers;
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- In the water areas of many hotels, nets are installed, in which sometimes lost hunters are found.
Actions to take when encountering a shark
So, you saw a shark nearby. What should I do? Experienced divers advise simply praying. Another advice from scientists:
- Keep a cool head (if possible).
- Try to hit the shark in the face with a heavy object.
- Press on the fish's eyes or grab the gills.
The bloody situation of 2010 ended unexpectedly. A tipsy tourist killed a shark by jumping from a pontoon into the water. To its sorrow, a hammerhead shark swam under the diving board and died from a concussion (according to experts). The man was taken to the hospital, but the doctors’ diagnosis was curious: minor bruises and severe alcohol intoxication.
Other dangers of the Red Sea
Diving into the waters of the Red Sea is always an event associated with risk. A large number of underwater inhabitants: sea urchins, scorpion lionfish, poisoned corals, electric stingrays, stone fish - can greatly spoil your vacation. Therefore, knowledge about marine inhabitants, encounters with which are undesirable, is very useful. You need to know the enemy by sight!
Arriving in Egypt, tourists want to get the most out of their vacation. Some people first of all go to explore the famous pyramids, others can’t wait to plunge into the bustle of the bright colorful Egyptian market, while others put on a mask and rush to explore the beauty of the Red Sea. Of course, the most vivid impression will be getting to know the corals. One thing you shouldn’t forget is that corals are beautiful, but treacherous - how to admire them and stay healthy -.
And finally
Do not confuse the tropical sea with a swimming pool, where man is not the king of nature, but just banal food. You can relax on the Red Sea. But be careful!
Oct 30, 2015 Kate
A series of shark attacks on people in 2010, until 2015, Hurghada was not listed among the reports of shark victims. But this does not mean that there are none in the waters of Hurghada. Attacks on people have previously been reported in nearby Marsa Alam and Safaga, but all were reported outside of permitted swimming areas. The situation with the death of a 52-year-old German tourist who died from this sea predator on March 22, 2015 is also shrouded in mystery.
2015 incident
Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, but the press is currently reporting that on March 21, a 52-year-old German tourist died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital after a shark attacked him in the sea and bit off his foot. A German citizen died from loss of blood.
So far, the press has not received official information about where the attack took place on the open sea (during diving) or while swimming in the beach area. It is reported that this happened in El Quseir, which is located 250 km from Hurghada. Therefore, this attack should not have any impact on those who are vacationing or planning to vacation in Hurghada.
History of shark attacks in Hurghada
It is worth saying that there have always been sharks in the Red Sea, since it is very warm and has excellent connections with the ocean. The most common in the Red Sea are:
- hammerhead shark
- reef
- scalloped
- brindle
- silver
- zebra
- long-winged
Over time, the number of these inhabitants of the Red Sea is gradually declining. It is extremely rare to see predators in close proximity to resort areas. From time to time they appear in Sharm el-Sheikh, but for some reason they do not reach Hurghada. According to experts, the reason for their attitude towards the waters of Hurghada is the small amount of food. During the construction of hotels here, the coral reefs where sharks feed were destroyed. In Sharm El-Sheikh, the reefs have remained untouched, and accordingly, predators appear there more often.
In 2012, a predator was spotted off the coast of Hurghada for the first time in a long time. It is interesting that the rescuers who arrived at the scene were unable to find him, but the resort was still under the supervision of specialists for some time.
Statistics of attacks on people
Over the past ten years, there have been no attacks on people in this resort. There is a quiet atmosphere on the beaches and, even despite the absence of accidents, lifeguards are constantly on duty in the region, ready to help if something happens.
In general, in Egyptian resorts, sharks do not attack people as often as was hyped on TV back in 2010. The following are cases of attacks on people in Egypt:
- July 1996 - attacked an Englishman, who was saved from death by dolphins who came to the rescue.
- August 1997 - A small boat was attacked on Safaga territory, resulting in one death and another barely surviving. Most likely, the boat was attacked by a white shark.
- February 2004 - Estonian tourists were injured in a collision with a predator in Sharm el-Sheikh.
- June 2007 – bit the leg of a Russian tourist.
- June 2009 - A French tourist died in a collision.
- A series of events in 2010 in Sharm el-Sheikh, which claimed the life of one German citizen. Also, as a result of these events, two of the three victims from Russia lost arms or legs and one Ukrainian received minor injuries.
- In March 2015, in El Quseir, she attacked a 52-year-old tourist and bit off his foot. The tourist died on the way to the hospital.
Considering that over the past 18 years, more than 100 million tourists have vacationed in Egyptian resorts, the risk of meeting a shark, much less being attacked, is practically zero. However, it is recommended to be extremely careful on the water and follow the recommendations of lifeguards.
On August 5, 2017, disturbing news came from Egypt about an attack on a tourist on the beach in Marsa Alam - as a result of such a collision, a 20-year-old tourist from Austria was seriously injured from the bites of a deadly predator.
Magret Singer was vacationing in Egypt with a group of her compatriots. On that ill-fated day, they went on a diving excursion - 100 meters from the shore, vacationers were snorkeling (snorkeling), admiring the beautiful landscape and inhabitants of the Red Sea.
Marsa Alam is famous for its magnificent fauna and wonderful coral reefs, explained representatives of a travel agency in Hurghada.
First of all, divers fly here, especially those who dream of seeing manatees, listed in the Red Book and living in this region.
In this part of the coast near the beach, according to locals, dolphins often appear, and this was a great opportunity for tourists to play with the friendly mammals and feed them.
1. How did the white shark attack on Marsa Alam beach happen?
In the waters of Marsa Alam there is a beautiful coral reef, this is where we went for snorkeling,” recalls one of the participants in that tragic underwater excursion.
At first we stayed together as one group, but after 10-15 minutes everyone spread out, as everyone wanted to see and study something. Everything was so beautiful and interesting, we didn’t want to waste a second in this heavenly place.
In addition, dolphins swam nearby and everyone wanted to communicate with them.
And then suddenly a large shark, about 2 meters long, if not more, appeared from the reef. She was horny and immediately attacked the nearest diver. She turned out to be a young 20-year-old girl.
Indeed, as the organizers of this excursion said, tourists expected to meet dolphins here, anticipating fun communication with them. However, besides them, the most dangerous sea predator, the white shark, appeared from nowhere.
Without ceremony, she rushed towards Magret and delivered a strong bite, which landed on the tourist’s thigh. The clear water instantly turned red with blood. Having surfaced, Singer began screaming loudly and calling for help.
The first person to react to her heart-rending screams was a 52-year-old tourist who came to the resort with his wife from Ukraine.
Maxim Pavlenko was swimming with a camera at this time, enjoying the beauty of the underwater world of the Red Sea and taking pictures for memory.
It all happened the day before around lunchtime, when there were a lot of people at sea,” the man recalls.
When I swam to her, the water around her was covered in blood, and she herself was sobbing and begging to be pulled to shore.
When I swam up to her point-blank, she grabbed me by the neck and said that her lower body was badly damaged.
When I tried to look at the wound, I saw that a piece of meat seemed to have been cut off from the bottom of the girl’s back, and scraps of flesh were dangling on her thigh.
Suddenly I noticed some large, incomprehensible fish nearby. I couldn't believe that it was a shark.
Where did they come from off the coast of such a popular resort of Marsa Alam?
Maxim began to quickly row towards the pontoon, supporting the badly wounded Magret with one hand. The girl's strength quickly left her - she began to lose consciousness, and the man had to make a lot of effort to get to the saving land.
Meanwhile, the white shark swam nearby all this time, not losing sight of its bloody victim. The tourists were very lucky that the dangerous predator did not make a second attack - after all, it could have ended sadly not only for the girl, but for the man too.
According to experts, the white shark that attacked the vacationers was a young, inexperienced individual, so the predator did not dare to attack a second time, preferring to first study the current situation or wait until the victim weakened from blood loss.
It’s good that this pontoon was nearby - I’m not sure that the shark would have left us if the distance had been greater,” added Maxim.
A few minutes later, the man managed to swim to the pontoon, where people had already gathered who had noticed the terrible incident. Among them was a lifeguard from Marsa Alam beach who threw a life preserver. The wounded woman was quickly pulled upstairs, followed by Pavlenko.
Already on the shore, the wife of the brave Ukrainian Oksana, who was swimming nearby and saw everything that was happening, lost consciousness from the stress she experienced and the sight of blood.
It was the very first day of their vacation - and then such an unimaginable incident happened.
The woman admitted that out of fear she would now hardly be able to go into the sea and let her husband go there.
Magret's wound turned out to be deep - she was urgently taken to a private hospital in Marsa Alam (according to other sources, to a special clinic in Hurghada).
According to information from hospital staff, the tourist from Austria lost a lot of blood and was in critical condition.
Part of the girl’s thigh was torn out by the shark’s jaws, and a penetrating wound was discovered in the abdominal area.
After first aid was provided by Egyptian doctors, a private plane was prepared for the victim - she was flown to her homeland in Austria for further treatment.
2. How Egyptian rescuers did NOT rescue tourists immediately after a shark attack
Maxim admitted that he was very indignant at the slowness and low professionalism of the local rescuers, who, instead of evacuating the rest of the swimmers from the water, only whistled and honked loudly.
The operation to evacuate people from the water had to be organized by the tourists themselves (!!!). One of those who became an unwitting witness to the shark attack was professional lifeguard Milan Zhervich.
The Egyptian colleagues behaved very strangely, he recalls.
Instead of pulling vacationers out of mortal danger, they simply ran along the beach and blew their whistles.
When we asked them to send rescue boats after the swimmers and divers, they began to shrug and could not do anything.
Then we ran to the yacht, which stood next to the beach - we asked the captain to lower his boat to pull people out of the water...
It was clear that the Egyptians did not expect anything like this - they were stunned by what had happened and were confused.
Fortunately, no other vacationers were injured by the shark.
3. Reasons for the appearance of white sharks off the coast of a popular Egyptian resort
A few days before the shark attack on the tourist, in the Red Sea, washing the beaches of the resort of Hurghada, experts recorded the activation of large white sharks.
Predators leave the depths of the sea and rush to the coastline, where there may be vacationers.
Researchers have yet to find out the reason for this behavior of dangerous sharks.
From time to time, sharks approach the Egyptian shores. Over the entire history of observations, a number of tragic cases have been recorded that resulted in the death of people; Dozens more were injured. However, this does not happen every year.
Shark attacks in Egypt are very rare: 57 such cases have been known since 1900, said representatives of the Shark Research Institute.
Most often, sharks are provoked into aggression by tourists themselves.
We have evidence that on August 5, 2017, the day of the shark attack in Marsa Alam, tourists fed fish to the dolphins.
In March 2015 at the resort of Marsa Alam after a shark attack.
And before that, in 2010, a series of predator attacks occurred in the Sharm el-Sheikh area, as a result of which a German tourist died and three more people, including Russian citizens, were injured.
When I heard that a white shark attacked a vacationer, I didn’t believe it at first, I thought it was some kind of joke,” said a tourist from France who arrived in Marsa Alam on vacation.
But when I came to the beach to swim on the 6th, it was closed. Rescuers are studying the situation. Therefore, all tourists actively go on excursions.
Red Sea environmental protection specialists conduct explanatory conversations with diving companies and guides, and also notify tourists about the ban on feeding wild animals, including sharks.
I heard that in Egypt they hold peculiar shows with feeding these dangerous predators, but I never thought that this could provoke such dangerous incidents.
Officials have banned water activities in Marsa Alam until an investigation is completed.
The Red Sea has always been considered a relatively quiet area that is not disturbed by sharks. But in recent years, swimming here has become more and more dangerous...
A tourist who flew to Egypt with his family for a vacation died as a result of a shark attack. The man, who was 41 years old at the time, went to the resort from the Czech Republic. The incident happened not far from the Egyptian city of Marsa el-Alam on August 6, 2018. The body was found 20 km north of him.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health is currently deciding whether to transfer the man's body to his homeland. Recommendations for tourists to the resort from the Egyptian authorities will soon arrive.
This morning, August 6, 2018, a terrible tragedy occurred at a resort in Egypt. A shark attack caused the death of one of the tourists. The victim was a man. He flew from the Czech Republic in order to spend time on vacation. His family flew with him - children and wife.
The deceased man was 41 years old at the time of his death. The attack of a dangerous predator occurred near the resort town of Marsa al-Alam. The victim was scuba diving, wanting to enjoy the beauty of the Red Sea. However, the peace was interrupted by an unexpected visit from a dangerous shark, which without hesitation made its fatal attack on the man.
The attack itself took place 20 km from the coast; the remains of the man’s body washed ashore. Where he was found this morning. Employees of the Egyptian Ministry of Health are deciding the issue of transporting the body of a Czech citizen to his homeland.
A shark was attracted to the shore of an Egyptian resort by dumped animal carcasses
Authorities cordoned off the beach where the body of a man from the Czech Republic was found on the morning of August 6, 2018. The cause of death is currently under investigation. The Egyptian authorities always try to monitor the condition of the coastal waters of the Red Sea for the presence of sharks. These dangerous predators almost never leave a chance for survival.
In an attempt to find out what exactly attracted the shark to the beaches, the discarded carcasses of dead cattle were found. Having carefully assessed all the available information, the authorities came to the conclusion who could be responsible for attracting predators to the shore. It turned out that earlier an Egyptian ship sailed near the shores of the resort of Marsa el-Alam. They threw overboard a number of dead livestock carcasses. The smell of meat and blood understandably attracted sharks to the area. The crew that controlled the ship was detained. They are under investigation.
Recent cases of shark attacks on tourists in Egypt
Sharks are quite rare on the shores of Egyptian resorts. Because the authorities are trying to monitor the safety of the waters of the Red Sea. Most of the time, visitors are not in danger. Still, there are exceptions and their tragic consequences are irreversible. Thus, the last time a shark attack was recorded in Egyptian waters was in 2015. A man who suffered from the sharp teeth of a predator could survive because she only bit off his leg. However, the man died from loss of blood in the ambulance before arriving at the hospital. The deceased was from Germany, aged 53 years.
Large-scale shark attacks occurred in 2010. Then several tourists were seriously injured. The shores of the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh were overwhelmed by a wave of attacks by bloodthirsty sharks. Three residents of Russia and one native of Ukraine were seriously injured. A German citizen died from an attack by a dangerous shark.
To be fair, it should be noted that the appearance of sharks in Hurghada is neither a sensation in its pure form nor a pattern without any options.
Watch video - Longwing sharks in Hurghada:
A tourist was bitten by a shark:
Well, who would have thought that the sharks in Hurghada would be so persistent and demand “continuation of the banquet”? Indeed, the sensation in this case was that not one, but two sharks, of different species, distinguished themselves in Hurghada.
And also the fact that the shark attacks happened in a very short period of time, which was out of line with the “schedule” of small shark attacks recorded by experts around the world.
The unpreparedness of the relevant authorities in Hurghada for such shark attacks and the unpreparedness of beach areas for safe swimming and diving can also be called a sensation. But, apparently, not only here, every work begins with a sensation - until the shark bites, the Egyptian will not scratch himself.
It's sad that the episodes were bloody and one was fatal. But they were predictable, since careless behavior with such predators is unacceptable.
Moreover, the topography of the Red Sea bottom did not in any way impede their free movement right up to the shore.
The connection between global warming and sharks in Hurghada
Another pattern can be called global warming, which has influenced and will continue to influence the behavior of sharks as a living organism, not only in Hurghada, but also in any other part of the ocean.
Gentlemen scientists don’t need to sleep here, so as not to catch terrible sensations from the airwaves later.
Although, judging by the scale of the problem - global warming - it is not only the Egyptian authorities who need to think about this, but all of humanity. And the opinions of scientists, even on smaller problems, most often go unheard, where can sharks fit in...
However, there would be no need for the authorities responsible for fishing in the Red Sea to sleep: according to one version, the decrease in the productivity of the sea also affects the behavior of predators.
After all, if we “take away” all the fish from the sharks, the sharks will start eating us, both in Hurghada and everywhere else.
It turns out that the Hurghada sharks did not just create a sensation with their “sudden” appearance. They demonstrated to everyone that the laws of biology, physics and logic are still valid even on resort beaches.
That the conditioned reflex of the scientist Pavlov works not only on the dog Zhuchka, that not only those who do not have air conditioning in the house go crazy from the heat, that not only a shaven-headed neighbor, but also a silent predator can respond to provocation.
And that it is better to swim in truly designated areas, that is, where preliminary work on the arrangement has been carried out, and not just where buoys are scattered.
What are the Egyptian authorities doing to ensure the safety of holidaymakers?
Food for thought
There are also numerous versions according to which sharks appeared in Hurghada, like Santa Claus in July. It makes no sense to even consider them.
The main thing is to draw timely and correct conclusions from what happened, for which, undoubtedly, our great hopes lie in the work of gentlemen scientists and ichthyological specialists.
Otherwise, a noun can be exchanged with an adjective - and we will get a natural sensation.
That is, something that will be repeated regularly and methodically, and, therefore, will completely move from the category of sensation to simple everyday life: sharks on the shores of Egyptian resorts in Khugrad, Sharm el-Sheikh and others like them, when dangerous fins completely replace restrictive buoys .
It would be good if all a person’s affairs began not with such sensations, but with a logical and competent analysis and prediction of all situations.