The year has seen a rise in shark attacks and shark presences alarmingly closer to shores around the world. From Florida to Spain, and beyond, sharks seem to be migrating closer and closer than ever to the shore. With this in mind, we wondered what are the risks of shark attacks in Singapore? And although, local encounters with dangerous sharks are rare, there have been occasional sightings of sharks such as blacktip reef sharks, bamboo sharks, and whale sharks. Technically, there are no vicious sharks in Singapore but we examine the shark threat as a result of climate change.
Recent shark sighting 2024
In fact, a huge shark was caught and released on a night fishing experience in southern Singapore and posted to TikTok by user @nelnas78 on July 24, 2024. It sparked a discussion where Singaporeans debated whether it was a nurse shark or a bull shark, with many people believing the sea creature to be a critically endangered nurse shark. Users on Reddit discussed the encounter too.
Sharks attacks in Singapore
The last recorded shark attacks in Singapore occurred on December 6, 1979 to a diver and on December 26, 1966 when a man was bitten on his thigh while wading by the seaside. Both attacks were non-fatal. Meanwhile, data shows very few shark attacks in the history of Singapore.
What are the causes of shark migration?
The potential risk of dangerous sharks moving closer to Singapore’s waters can be attributed to overfishing, rising ocean temperatures which affects shark behaviour, and altered ocean currents making sharks come closer to coastal areas to search for food.
The presence of sharks near beaches around the world is mainly due to climate change. This includes habitat loss in the ocean, juvenile shark behaviour, prey moving closer to shore, and the affect of human activities – according to scientists and researchers.
Overall, there is currently no significant evidence to suggest that Singapore is at immediate risk of an increased shark presence due to climate change. But continued monitoring and proactive conservation efforts are vital to manage potential future mitigation. Certainly, the waters around Singapore are less shark-infested compared to other global hotspots such as Australia and South Africa.
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