Swimming in Amity is safe, despite recent attacks

Swimmers off the coast of New Hampshire should have no fear at becoming a victim to a shark attack, despite the recent deaths of two Amity locals.

New Hampshire beaches are safe and will remain safe this summer. Shark attacks are very rare. So rare that you have a more likelihood of being struck by lighting according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The Florida Museum of Natural History compares these statistics with the much higher rate of deaths from other, less feared causes. For example, an average of more than 38 people die annually from lightning strikes in coastal states, while less than 1 person per year is killed by a shark, according to the museum.

Even considering only people who go to beaches, a person's chance of getting attacked by a shark in the United States is 1 in 11.5 million, and a person's chance of getting killed by a shark is less than 1 in 264.1 million. In the United States, the annual number of people who drown is 3,306, whereas the annual number of shark fatalities is 1. 

However, according to James Sulikowski, a shark expert from the University of New England, anecdotal evidence suggest that the number of great whites along the coast of Maine is growing.

With the heavenly growth of seals in the area, means a vast food supply for great whites to feed from. Like many experts alike, the common advice is to stay away from waters with a populated area of seals to avoid risk.

To reassure any beach goers that even with the spike of great white sightings on the coast of New Hampshire and Maine doesn't mean that there is a greater likelihood to be attacked.

‘‘You have a much greater chance of dying by getting hit by a toilet seat in a freak accident, struck by lightning, you name it, than being attacked and eaten by a shark,’’ Sulikowski said in a August 3, 2013 article to the Boston Globe.