The famous underwater world of the Red Sea is the object of desire for most divers. Alas, sharks are also found here, and in large numbers and often on the same reefs that snorkellers love so much. Almost 20 species of sharks live in different parts of the Red Sea. But in the Egyptian part you can see mainly mako, hammerhead, long-winged, blunt-nosed, black-tipped reef, white-headed and tiger sharks. All of them are dangerous to humans. What is called characteristic: once you see it, you will not confuse it again. Sharks have an elongated straight torpedo-shaped body with a high fin. Their silhouette, if they are small, is similar to that of a dolphin, which is why people from afar can confuse them. As a rule, the shape of the muzzle in sharks is pointed – but not in blunt-nosed and hammerhead. The long-winged shark has longer lateral fins, the hammerhead and blunt-nosed sharks have a characteristic shape of the muzzle: the former has a flat, elongated in width, the latter is more rounded. Mako and brindle can be distinguished by color: the first has a white belly and gray-blue sides, the second has spotted skin. 
Appearance
Shark behavior
The ability to develop great speed and smell blood hundreds of meters away, a powerful body and jaws, aggressiveness, fearlessness and, last but not least, curiosity make these marine predators very dangerous for humans. Worst of all, in Egypt, in search of food, they constantly swim in shallow water and to coral reefs – just where divers go. The most dangerous for tourists in Egypt is considered to be long-winged and white-headed sharks, as well as mako. The latter attacks not only swimmers, but also boats, is more aggressive than other sharks and can even jump 4-6 meters out of the water.
Long-winged shark accompanied by pilot fish
How to avoid encounters with sharks
Now there is a lot of talk about the fact that tourists and guides of Egypt themselves provoked an increased activity of sharks in the region: for the sake of entertainment, people feed large fish, including these predators, during sea excursions. Accustomed to receiving light food, sharks begin to “graze” along tourist routes and may even attack a vessel from which they will not be thrown bloody treats.
To minimize the chances of meeting a shark, you should not swim at dawn or dusk: sharks go hunting at this time. You should not swim far from the coast, swim in troubled waters and near boats, as well as in those places where you have already seen sharks (even the “most non-aggressive ones”) and where many fish swim. And it is especially dangerous to go into the water where sharks live if there are unhealed cuts on the body or blood is coming from somewhere. Also, do not strongly thresh on the water with your hands and feet, make other sudden movements. This attracts sharks and makes them more aggressive.
What to do when meeting a shark
< p>Scientists assure that sharks do not tend to attack first, unless they are provoked. And a person is not interested in them as food, because it has little fat and a lot of bones (compared to the same seals) – and sharks like it when the opposite is true. At the same time, it is precisely for sharks that the so-called research bites are characteristic, when they bite not from hunger, but from the desire to check what it is in front of them in general. It is also believed that sharks sometimes mistake divers or surfers for seals, sea lions or turtles – and therefore attack. Those who, while in the water, saw a swimming shark, are advised not to turn their backs on the predator, not to beat their hands and feet in the water. You need to try to loudly call people for help, if they are nearby, ask them to scare away the fish and slowly, without making sudden movements, swim away from the predator to the shore or to the boat.
If a shark attacks you, you need to try to hit her in the eye, gills, muzzle. Try not to swim alone: sharks rarely attack groups. And the chances that the bather will be provided with timely assistance, if he is not alone, are much greater.
What else to read on the topic
- What to do if on vacation in Egypt I encountered a marine reptile: first aid
- 8 fish that are most often found in Egypt under water: let's get acquainted
- 12 of the most dangerous underwater reptiles in Egypt, which are best avoided