Two shark attacks rocked the surf world this weekend. A woman had the back of her leg from her glute to her knee severely torn at Church – nestled just north of San Onofre State Beach – and is currently, according to friends, fighting for her life. The other attack was the ninth fatal shark attack in six years on Reunion Island.
I bring these attacks up not to trivialize them, but to illustrate that in many parts of the world, attacks are seemingly more frequent. And hysteria has reached a fever pitch.
Hollywood has capitalized on the public’s fear of sharks at least since the release of Jaws in 1974. And ever since, the narrative of sharks as malevolent dwellers of the deep out to chomp on unsuspecting swimmers during their summer pilgrimage pervades. Hell, that’s why Shark Week and shark blockbusters always coincide with beach season, when stoking shark fears has the highest ROI.
The most recent addition to the shark film canon is 47 Meters Down starring the loveable Mandy Moore. In the film, Moore and her sister (Claire Holt) go cage diving to get up close and personal with sharks. As the crew aboard the ship is reeling them back up, the rope tethering them to the boat breaks, and they sink 47 meters and have to make it past the sharks circling above to get back to the boat safely. Terrifying, right?
