What are the chances of being attacked by a shark in the U.S.?
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  As sharks take over television screens this month for National Geographics SharkFest and Discovery Channels Shark Week, you may be wondering just how likely a shark attack is if you plan on visiting the beach this summer. Theres no evidence that sharks actively hunt humans  as humans are oftentimes in the vicinity of sharks, and an attack doesnt occur. Relative to worldwide and oceanic water statistics, the number of shark attacks is small, according to David Angotti, the founder of floridapanhandle.com, a website that analyzes shark attacks in an interactive database. At the global level, there are typically less than 100 attacks annually. And the risk of death from a shark attack is extremely small. While humans kill about 100 million sharks annually, sharks kill as few as five humans each year. You have a higher chance of being killed by a flying champagne cork, accidental poisoning, or lightning. In the United States, its one in 5 million. Survivors of shark attacks describe experiences differently, but a common description is that the attack feels similar to being punched or bumped. Some survivors recount no pain at all, according to Angotti, which could be due to shock, fight or flight, or a huge adrenaline rush. What started out as a fun research project, quickly became a passion project! During our research, we learned that in a typical year less than 10 humans are killed by sharks. Contrast that with the astronomical figure of 100 million sharks killed by humans. We believe that this educational shark attack statistics interactive will help the general public realize that shark attacks are incredibly rare and normally survivable. Based on the data, we should not fear the sharks -- rather, we should protect them, said Angotti. According to the Florida Museum, there have been 12 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in New York from 1837 to present day. In New Jersey, that number is slightly higher -- at 15 attacks. The website shared six tips to survive a shark attack:  Dont play dead. This works for bears, but not sharks. Maintain eye contact. If a shark circles or bumps you, it will attack. Fight. Use hard objects (or your hands) and jab nose, gills and eyes. All bites are not equal. Try to make sure the shark is not able to bite your neck or face. Get out of the water. The shark may keep attacking you until you are out of water. Get help, apply pressure and stay warm. Call an ambulance, stop the bleeding, and try to prevent shock. SHARKFEST AND SHARK WEEK  National Geographics ninth annual SharkFest started on Monday with the premiere of the marquee SharkFest special, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth at 9 p.m., preceded by the first episode of When Sharks Attack at 8 p.m., according to a news release from National Geographic. GO HERE FOR THE FULL SHARKFEST SCHEDULE  If you are cord-cutter you can watch SharkFest on fuboTV, which is currently offering a free trial. There will be six weeks of shark programming, featuring more than 21 hours of new premieres, 60 hours of enhanced content, and a treasure trove of archival footage. SharkFest will continue to highlight the science and cinematic visuals of the apex predators, according to the news release. Shark Week 2021 returns on July 11. The summer tradition airs every year on the Discovery Channel -- running for eight days. This years series will wrap up on Sunday, July 18. This year will deliver the most shark programming than ever before, including: a shark movie festival across Discovery platforms leading up to Shark Week; Discoverys first-ever shark competition docu-series, Shark Academy; the return of shark-themed episodes of Josh Gates Tonight, according to a press release from Discovery. Heres the full schedule for Shark Week. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.