Curtis, T.H., Bruce, B.D., Cliff, G., Dudley, S.F.J., Klimley, A.P., Kock, A., Lowe, C.G., et al. (2011) Responding to the Risk of White Shark Attack: Updated Statistics Prevention, Control Methods, and Recommendations. In: Domeier, M.L., Ed., Global Perspective on the Biology and Life History of the White Shark, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 477-460. https://doi.org/10.1201/b11532-35

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Does the Type of Dive Mask Matter to a Shark?

  AUTHORS: Erich Ritter, Raid Amin, Ellie Farquhar

  KEYWORDS: Approach, Eye Contact, Interruption, Mask, Shark

  JOURNAL NAME: Open Journal of Animal Sciences, Vol.10 No.3, July 30, 2020

  ABSTRACT: Eye contact with a shark is a crucial element during an interaction with a diver. Different mask frames change the size of a diver’s available field of vision, and so make a person’s eyes unequally visible from different angles, particularly when comparing mirrored to regular glass. This study examined whether it matters to a shark if it can see a diver’s eyes when getting closer. The test-subjects changed masks in a random, timed routine, while the relative distance, the absolute distance between a shark and diver expressed in a fraction of the shark’s body length, between approaching shark and human was tallied. Sharks came significantly closer (p = 0.0139) when a diver’s eyes could not be detected, showing that they orient themselves and approach based on the human’s eyes. Given that human comprehension of sharks is rudimentary, every possible benefit, even a minimal one like choosing the most optimal mask, is recommended whenever approaching sharks are likely to be encountered.