[GDRussiayear]

As I was swimming on a Koh Samet beach, horrifiyng picture from the film "Jaws" came to my mind, I considered that I was in Bay of Thailand-Indian Ocean, not in Lake Michigan, and in oceans sharks are at home, and we people are intruders, and possible victims of their attacks,, so I slowly swam to shore and out of imagined harms way. I looked at a web recording sharks attacks in Asian countries...and according to this web last fatal shark attack in Thailand occured in 2000. According to same web most other countries around Thailand had more registered attacks than this, Singapore 5,..the last one way back in 1950`s. So could these be true & accurate stats.?......with such long shore line, and so many beaches with so many swimmers, and so many hungry sharks out there in the ocean and in shallower beach waters could that be true that no shark attacks occured in Thai waters since 2000?....or are they not reported when they happen-for fear of panicking tourists and maybe turning them away?

[b91ZmxzX]

Black tip reefshark, nice sighting.

[GDRussiayear]

Well I wish I could link this web to you easier, but I am not that good in computer technics, so this is the only way I can point you to that web, so you can see it for yourself,....i have no reason to doubt truthfulness of its claim. here it is that web-http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/mapAsia.htm---(Also try map of international shark attack statistics)

[Scfdglkn]

I am confused. Singapore was only founded in 1965. It seems they have attributed all past shark attacks there before Singapore even existed. Well, this could mean the shark attacks could have happened probably a hundred years ago. How did they get all these figures in the first place?

Singapore as a nation was founded in 1965, believe me, the island of Singapore has been there a lot longer.

I was there at that time, and Sir Stamford Raffles a few years earlier!

[cinggooft]

I am confused. Singapore was only founded in 1965. It seems they have attributed all past shark attacks there before Singapore even existed. Well, this could mean the shark attacks could have happened probably a hundred years ago. How did they get all these figures in the first place?

[TornadoPD]

As I was swimming on a Koh Samet beach, horrifiyng picture from the film "Jaws" came to my mind, I considered that I was in Bay of Thailand-Indian Ocean, not in Lake Michigan, and in oceans sharks are at home, and we people are intruders, and possible victims of their attacks,, so I slowly swam to shore and out of imagined harms way. I looked at a web recording sharks attacks in Asian countries...and according to this web last fatal shark attack in Thailand occured in 2000. According to same web most other countries around Thailand had more registered attacks than this, Singapore 5,..the last one way back in 1950`s. So could these be true & accurate stats.?......with such long shore line, and so many beaches with so many swimmers, and so many hungry sharks out there in the ocean and in shallower beach waters could that be true that no shark attacks occured in Thai waters since 2000?....or are they not reported when they happen-for fear of panicking tourists and maybe turning them away?

I don't know about sharks, but they're not the only ocean nasties that can get you in Thailand - there's jellyfishes as well. Just look what happened to this poor guy in 2002...

(From 2002) An Australian man has died from multiple stings by a toxic jellyfish near a popular backpacker resort on a southern Thai island.

Sean Tyrrell, 25, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Ban Don Inter-clinic on Koh Phangan island after being stung in the late afternoon of August 9, a spokeswoman at the clinic said.

Mr Tyrrell, from Victoria, was stung while swimming at Koh Phangan's Hat Rin beach, popular with backpacker travellers for regular full moon rave parties.

Officials said he suffered terrible pain from the stings which left large welt marks on his legs.

"The long tentacles wrapped around his legs three or four times each. It would have been an excruciating death," an official said.

Officials and the hospital spokeswoman said they were unaware of the species of jellyfish which caused the deaths.

Australia has warned travellers to the resort island 650km south of Bangkok to "exercise extreme caution" when swimming.

Two days after Mr Tyrrell's death, a Moroccan woman died at the nearby Koh Samui hospital after being stung while also swimming at Koh Phangan Island.

Thai police stationed on the island have since been handing out leaflets warning visitors against swimming, especially in the latter part of the day and early evening.

But officials said many of the travellers were disregarding the warnings.

"There is a general culture on the island that all is OK," one official said.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a warning last week advising Australians to "exercise extreme care" about the safety of swimming in particular locations on the island.

"Due to the uncertainty about the species and toxicity of the jellyfish that caused the deaths, swimmers, snorkellers, and divers are advised to leave the water if jellyfish are spotted," DFAT said in the notice.

The deaths have surprised the diving community, with southern Thailand one of the most popular locations for deep sea diving in South East Asia, especially during the peak season of November through to March.

But the country is presently in the grip of the rainy monsoon season, with the waters clouded from river silt and evidence of jellyfish along many beaches in the southern provinces.

Tony Green, managing director of Phuket-based H2O Sports said the deaths were unheard of.

"We take a lot of divers and had people stung. But from our experience those are minor. We have never heard of or seen a potential lethal jellyfish," Mr Green said. And with the nasty rip currents that are common in Thailand it's easy to drown even without the help of sharks or jellyfishes. Be careful out there!

[b91ZmxzX]

There are no to humans dangerous sharks in Thai waters, so there really is no chance of shark attacks.

[cinggooft]

The island is in existence for a very long time but it was a part of Malaysia before 1965. The last fatality recorded according to that website was in 1954 when the island was a part of Malaysia. Shouldn't the fatality be recorded on Malaysia's account?

I am very doubtful of the legitimacy of the data presented. There is a lot of information missing from the site. How did they get the figures? What tools did they use for their research, if any was done? What is the number of shark attacks per year? All that we are given is the number of shark attacks from 1580 to 2007. We do not know if there is an upward trend or downward trend. Imho, it does not seem to be useful at all.

[yWleIJm4]

I tried to get close to some sharks when I was snorkeling, but they ran away. I got a reasonable photo of one of them (third photo in the first group): http://thailand.jeffersonscher.com/uw06/Surin3.asp

Actually, I was more concerned about the barracudas.

[Breevereurl]

*faints*

i hate deep water.
i cant swim,
but somehow.... i just had to click this topic.

*shivers*
i know the beaches are nice,
but land is okay for me.
yikes!

thanks.

[Gozmand]

When I was last in Koh Phangan I was told by Farang that had lived there a while, that 'some' foreign tourists had been shot by Thai nationals for whatever reason; maybe some stupid argument or maybe not so stupid (not trying to imply this happens regularly). Apparently this is mostly 'covered up' by Thai government in order not to frighten off potential tourists? Apon my return to Bangkok I asked two Thai friends of mine if this was true - they agreed!

Could it not be a similar situation with shark attacks? I find it hard to believe that in the whole of the Thai ocean borders no attack has been recorded since 2000?? Something to be considered me thinks ......

[Riprincattiva]

Most sharks only attack in murky water or river outlets at dusk & dawn when they can't see what you are. Also, it's because they're hungry and we've caught all their fish so they come in closer. Usually, they're more scared of you...

[cinggooft]

I looked at a web recording sharks attacks in Asian countries...and according to this web last fatal shark attack in Thailand occured in 2000. According to same web most other countries around Thailand had more registered attacks than this, Singapore 5,..the last one way back in 1950`s.

That report is misleading to say the least. I have never heard of a shark attack occuring in Singapore and I lived there.

[vSzsgifP]

There are no to humans dangerous sharks in Thai waters, so there really is no chance of shark attacks.

I have seen bull sharks off Chumpon Pinnacle near Koh Tao. I am pretty sure bull sharks will show up frequently if you google shark attacks.

[NutChusty]

Well the most dangerous shark, the White Pointer as featured in the film Jaws, live in the colder and temperate climates, having said that it is only the larger sharks that will attack a human and even though the larger tiger sharks will attack humans, Asia is so over populated with humans fishing for shark fin soupe, most of the sharks have been fished out of Asian waters before they reach that size.