Florida shark summer: Can you punch a shark in the nose? What to do if a shark bites you

As every week brings more reports of shark bites off Florida and Texas beaches, you can't help wondering what you would do if you were attacked by a shark. Flail? Scream? Swim away?

Although avoidance is absolutely the best way to stay safe, if a shark is already coming at you, your best bet just might be to punch it in the snoot. Ask the 19-year-old Oklahoma woman who was bitten while swimming with family off the coast of Galveston, Texas on May 28.

"As I was turning, a shark grabbed a hold of my hand," Damiana Humphrey said. "I looked down and there was a shark attached to my hand, so I guess I started punching it. That part is kind of blurry to me." The shark, reportedly about four to five feet long, let go and swam away. Humphrey escaped with four severed tendons in her hand.

On June 2 in Del Mar, California, Caleb Adams, 46, was bitten by a shark and said he repeatedly punched it "inside its mouth." Last year Ella Reed, 13, swimming at a Fort Pierce, Florida beach pounded on a shark that was biting her torso and leg until it swam off.

Forget the movies. Sharks rarely want to bite you

Although reports of shark bites can seem frequent and injuries can be horrific, shark bites are extremely rare and fatalities from shark bites even more so.

Most shark bites are unprovoked — meaning they didn't come from a human initiating the interaction — and usually happen when a shark mistakes part of a person for a fish in low visibility conditions or just accidentally bumps into a person and reacts, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, which maintains the International Shark Attack File (ISAF). Sometimes a shark may bite to protect their space, like a dog protecting its yard. Very few bites are from predation.

The yearly average of unprovoked shark bites on humans around the world is about 70, the Florida Museum said, resulting in an average of five deaths. That bite average can be a bit higher, comparatively, in Florida.

New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County is the unofficial shark bite capital of the world, and three people were bitten in that area within several days of July 4 this year.

However, many shark bites are relatively minor and not many people die from shark attacks. The last fatal shark attack in Florida was 24 years ago when 38-year-old kiteboarder Stephen Howard Schafer died from massive blood loss after being bitten by at least one shark off Stuart Beach.

A USA TODAY article reported that the odds of dying as a result of a shark attack in the U.S. is 1 in 3,748,067.

If you see a shark near you in the water, stay calm

Few sharks naturally feed on humans. If you spot one moving through the water near you while you are swimming or wading, remain calm and move away quickly without splashing too much, if you can. Stick close to the rest of your group or other swimmers and divers. Sharks are less likely to attack a "school" of humans than a single person.

"Hit-and-run bites happen near beaches, where sharks try to make a living capturing fish," the Florida Museum said on its page about avoiding sharks. "In pounding surf, strong currents, and murky water, a shark may mistake the movements of humans, usually at the surface, for those of their normal food, fish. The shark makes one grab, lets go, and immediately leaves the area. Legs or feet are often bitten; injuries usually are minor and deaths rarely occur."

If you have been spearfishing or gathering and you're holding your catch, let it go and move away, the Florida Museum said. The shark is much more interested in the sound and smell of the fish than it is in you.

If a shark is acting overtly aggressive, the museum said, try to back up against any nearby reefs, pier pilings, or other structures that can help reduce the angles from which it can attack. If nothing is nearby, get back to back with whoever is swimming with you.

If you are attacked by a shark, punch it in the nose

Again, most shark bites are accidental and instinctual and a violent, proactive response may be the best way to fend them off.

"If a shark attacks, the best strategy is to hit it on the tip of its nose," the museum said, "This usually results in the shark retreating."

Repeated punches are likely to get less effective, the museum said, and keep in mind that you'll have water resistance softening your blow.

If a shark bites you, go for the eyes

"If a shark actually gets you in its mouth, we advise to be as aggressively defensive as you are able," ISAF's George Burgess said. "'Playing dead' does not work."

"Avoid using your [bare] hands or feet if you can avoid it; if not, concentrate your blows against the shark's delicate eyes or gills," said R. Aiden Martin, the director of the ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research until his death in 2007. Then "get out of the water as quickly and efficiently as you can," keeping it in sight in case it attacks again.

"Pound the shark in any way possible. Try to claw at the eyes and gill openings, two very sensitive areas," Burgess said. "Once released, do all you can to exit the water as quickly as possible because with your blood in the water, the shark very well could return for a repeat attack."

"You should not act passively if under attack as sharks respect size and power," the museum said.

If you get bitten by a shark, try to control the bleeding immediately

Even before you get out of the water — or take someone who has been bitten out of the water — you should "make every effort to control bleeding," Aiden said. "Apply direct pressure to any open wound to staunch the flow of blood. Avoid using a tourniquet unless rate of blood loss is life-threatening."

If you have been bitten, get medical attention even if it's just a scratch

"Since sharks' mouths often swarm with a nasty community of infectious microbes," Aiden said, "treatment by a physician is always indicated even if the wounds seem relatively minor."

Jana Hayes, The Oklahoman, contributed to this story.