That's what some people call surfers at Santa Cruz, California, and other spots around the world reputed to have sharks lying in wait. But how appropriate a label is it? Let's look at the numbers.

Between 1926 and 2004, there were a total of six confirmed shark attacks in the Santa Cruz area, none of them fatal. In fact, in 2004, there were only 30 shark attacks in the entire United States, and only two of them resulted in death. In contrast, that same year in the United States more than 32,000 people were killed in car accidents, 3,900 died in fires and 22 were killed by dogs.

Despite sharks' fierce reputation, you're more likely to be killed by a dog than by one of these formidable creatures. Click to enlarge

prey

It's common sense that humans aren't shark food; we're not built like seals and sea lions. Sharks prefer an energy-providing layer of fat to the flesh of us comparatively lean humans. In fact, great white sharks have been known to spit out human tissue, not finding it desirable enough to even bother swallowing.

Sources:

flmnh.ufl.edu: "International Shark Attack File," Florida Museum of Natural History

www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov: Auto collision statistics: U.S. Department of Transportation

usfa.fema.gov: Fire statistics: U.S. Fire Administration

flmnh.ufl.edu: "Sharks," Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History

time.com: "Summer of the Shark," Time.com