Sharks have become somewhat of an icon of terror thanks to pop culture, with their sharp jaws stirring the imagination wild. But should you actually be afraid of sharks in Portugal? Can you fall prey to a shark attack in Portugal? Do sharks attack beach goers? We’ll examine all that in today’s article.
Sharks in Portugal
Are there sharks in Portugal?
Logically, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Portugal should be full of sharks, which is simultaneously correct and incorrect. A great many species of sharks can indeed be spotted off the coast of Portugal, but you’ll rarely actually see any of them yourself. That’s because sharks will roam around their hunting or breeding grounds only, as they have little reason to swim close to the beaches. If you do encounter a shark somewhere, it’s probably closer to the Strait of Gibraltar because of the narrow isthmus there.
So yes, there are sharks in Portugal, plenty of them even, but they don’t actually come close to the beaches. Though this does not mean that this can never happen or that it never has happened before, as sharks as large as 7 metres long have been recorded in close proximity.
Shark attacks in Portugal
Are beaches in Portugal safe?
Only 8 shark attacks have been recorded in Portugal over the last 120 years. Only one of them was fatal, and it wasn’t actually anywhere close to a beach. That’s even less shark attacks than in Spain. Thus, if you’re worried about a shark attack in Portugal, we can safely say that the chances are microscopic. You’re more likely to be endangered by a piece of glass in the sand than sharks in its waters. The only place in Portugal where there were a few more shark attacks was Funchal in Madeira, though it’s still only two attacks in the last 120 years – victims were fishermen, not beachgoers.
Sharks vs surfing in Portugal
Is it safe to surf in Portugal?
Thanks to movies like Jaws, you can probably easily imagine a shark devouring a clueless surfer whole in one clean snatch. But no, as we’ve said, this proximity rule does also apply to the waters near beaches. Be careful of the waves themselves and you’ll be fine.
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