The Jersey Shore Shark Attacks | SharkFest

NARRATOR: It calls to mind events that occurred more than a century ago, which means the key to the present dilemma may lie in the past.

DAN HUBER: Understanding patterns in historical attacks can also help us to understand patterns in current attacks.

NARRATOR: So experts are turning their attention back, all the way back to the very first significant shark attack spike in US history—1916, the Jersey Shore, when terror reigned.

MICHAEL CAPUZZO: The 1916 shark attacks on the New Jersey Shore are the greatest shark attack mystery of all time. And really, the movie "Jaws" and the book would not have been possible without it.

NARRATOR: Though people at the time believed sharks to be harmless, five beachgoers are bitten in just two weeks. Four lose their lives, causing panic up and down the Eastern seaboard. For years, experts have studied these attacks and struggled to explain what happened. But there is one parallel between the very first fatal attack in 1916 and one of the more recent attacks that might prove to be more than a coincidence. They both happened at similar times of day. In 1916, the first fatal victim was bitten around 5:00 PM, just like Ida Parker.

IDA PARKER: It was about 5:00 in the afternoon.

NARRATOR: And according to shark expert Dr. Dan Huber, this may not be mere chance.

DAN HUBER: Recent research has shown that sharks can use the angle of the sun in order to give them a predatory advantage.

NARRATOR: If a shark is hunting when the sun is high overhead, the water is brightly lit and potential prey can easily see the shark's approach.

DAN HUBER: It's going to illuminate the shark. Perhaps so much so that it's really not worth their time to hunt during the middle of the day.

NARRATOR: But when the sun is lower in the sky, like it is around 5:00 PM, everything changes. To explain, Huber sets up a demonstration.

DAN HUBER: Here we have a small lure, which represents the shark. Next, we have a GoPro camera, which represents the point of view of the prey. And last, we have the light, which represents the sun.

NARRATOR: When the sun is close to the horizon, sharks approach prey using a very clever method.

DAN HUBER: They'll position the sun behind themselves so if the prey were to look where the shark is coming from, it's going to be blinded by the sun. As you can see from the footage, the scene gets completely washed out, making it harder to see the oncoming predator.

NARRATOR: This may be key to understanding the attacks. Because due in part to this camouflage, sharks often hunt at two particular times of day.

DAN HUBER: Sharks will be more actively hunting during dawn and dusk.

NARRATOR: As a result, experts the world over advise beachgoers to avoid the water both early and late in the day when they may run into a hunting shark. So were beachgoers in 1916 and today simply swimming during these dangerous times? Huber examines the data and finds that, while most of the victims in both spikes were bitten during the afternoon, none were bitten at dawn or dusk.

DAN HUBER: So the idea that this would have caused the attacks simply isn't supported.