LEWES, Del.- The oceans largest predators might not be as scary as they seem. The Lewes library held a Zoom class to teach people the truth about sharks, following recent sightings off the Delmarva coast.
While a common fear, Arron Carlisle with the University of Delaware says shark attacks should not be high on our list of things to worry about.
"It's an illogical fear that we have. I mean I understand it and everyone has it, but from a practical, logical viewpoint, if you see a shark you should consider yourself lucky because it just doesn't happen that often," said Carlisle, Assistant Professor of Fisheries Ecology at the School of Marine Science and Policy at the University of Delaware.
His presentation taught people how sharks are found, tagged, and tracked. Hoping to give people the realization that sharks attacks, even on the coast of Delmarva, are uncommon.
To calm your nerves before getting in the water you can download the app OCearch. It tracks tagged sharks and alerts you when one is near the coast. The most recent alert near the coast of Delmarva was just over a week ago.
Most sharks are not tagged. Earlier this week a group of fisherman spotted a great white off the coast of Ocean City.
It's not an isolated incident. Last week a 12 year old boy in Lewes was bit by what some people believe was a shark. While it's not yet confirmed to be a shark bite, it makes some people hesitant to get back in the ocean.
"I'm a little creeped out. I don't want to get my arm ripped off," said Justin Moris from Maryland.
Others say they feel safe, and prepared.
"I'm not really scared of sharks because i feel like they're pretty far out. I've never come to a close encounter to a shark so I feel pretty safe," said Alec Dissinger from Pennsylvania.
But if you do encounter one, Carlisle says don't panic.
"Just stay calm and get out of the water," said Carlisle.
Carlisle says one good thing about shark sightings is, it means a healthy ocean.