Shark Incidents at Eniwetok — Hobson, Mautin, and Reese 
609 
This was illustrated by the response to the com- 
motion at the surface of the water in the first 
incident. Furthermore, it seems they may also 
attack a human simply because he is located in 
an area of high concentration of the postulated 
stimulating factor, such as occurred in the sec- 
ond incident. In both incidents, visually directed 
thrusts at the sharks using hands, feet, or spear 
proved effective in momentarily warding off 
the attacking shark. Eibl-Eibesfeldt and Hass 
(1959: 746) and others have also noted the 
effectiveness of a pointed shaft as a shark de- 
terrent. 
CONCLUSIONS 
1. Sharks may be expected to appear wherever 
spear-fishing activities are undertaken, particu- 
larly in those areas where aggressive species are 
known to occur. 
2. When sharks appear under these circum- 
stances they may attack a human located within 
the immediate area of the stimulating factor as 
well as humans associated with an unnatural 
amount of activity in the general area. 
3. Sharks which have become familiar with 
the sight of humans in the water may be more 
likely to attack humans than those which have 
not. 
4. The conclusion reached by others — that vis- 
ually directed blows, preferably using a pointed 
instrument (such as a spear shaft), are effective 
in warding off sharks — is confirmed. 
REFERENCES 
Coppleson, V. M. 1958. Shark Attack. Angus 
and Robertson, Sydney, xi + 266 pp., 32 pis. 
Eibl-Eibesfeldt, L, and H. Hass. 1959. Erfah- 
rungen mit Haien. Z. Tierpsych. 16(6) : 733— 
746, 13 pis. 
Gilbert, P. W., L. P. Schultz, and S. 
Springer. I960. Shark attacks during 1959. 
Science 132(3423): 323-326, 1 fig. 
Harry, R. R. 1953. Ichthyological Field Data of 
Rarioa Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago. Atoll 
Research Bulletin 18: 48. 
Tester, A. L. I960. Fatal shark attack, Oahu, 
Hawaii, December 13, 1958. Pacific Sci. 
14(2): 181-184, 1 chart. 
