If a shark approaches you while surfing, stay calm, face the shark, and paddle slowly toward shore with steady, controlled strokes. Panicking is the single most dangerous thing you can do. Erratic splashing mimics the movement of injured prey and can escalate a curious pass into something far more serious. Most shark encounters while surfing end with the shark losing interest and swimming away, but how you respond in those first seconds matters.
Stay Calm and Face the Shark
Your instinct will be to turn and sprint-paddle for shore. Fight that instinct. Sharks are ambush predators, and turning your back while thrashing across the surface is exactly the kind of behavior that triggers a chase response. Instead, stay on your board, keep still, and orient your body so you’re facing the shark. Maintaining visual contact lets you track its movements and signals to the shark that you’re aware of it, not vulnerable prey.
If the shark is circling at a distance, it’s likely investigating. Sharks are curious animals, and most approaches are exploratory. Turning toward the shark and holding your ground often causes it to lose interest and move on. You don’t need to be aggressive, just present. A calm, upright figure on a surfboard looks nothing like a seal, and that distinction works in your favor.
Paddle to Shore Slowly and Steadily
Once you’ve identified the shark and it isn’t closing distance aggressively, begin paddling toward shore. The key is a calm, deliberate stroke. Avoid splashing as much as possible. Paddling too fast creates exactly the kind of surface disturbance that makes a shark more curious, and if you panic, there’s a real chance you tip off your board, putting yourself in a far worse position.
Keep the shark in your peripheral vision as you move. Glance back regularly so you’re not taken off guard. Head for the shallowest water you can reach. Sharks generally prefer deeper water and are less likely to follow you into the shallows. If other surfers are between you and shore, angle your path so you’re not leading the shark toward them.
If you’re paddling in an area known for shark activity even before an encounter, keep a controlled and steady paddle at all times. The habit of minimizing splash reduces your risk profile before a sighting ever happens.
Alert Other Surfers
Once you’re moving toward safety, warn the lineup. The universal hand signal for a shark sighting is holding the flat side of your hand against your forehead, mimicking a dorsal fin. Most experienced surfers recognize this immediately. If you’re close enough, shout clearly: “Shark!” works better than anything elaborate. The goal is to get everyone paddling calmly toward shore together, not to trigger a group panic.
After reaching the beach, let lifeguards or other surfers know what you saw, where you saw it, and how the shark was behaving. Many beaches have protocols for clearing the water after a sighting, typically for 30 minutes to an hour.
If the Shark Gets Close
A shark bumping your board or making a close pass is different from a distant circling. At this point, use your board as a barrier between you and the animal. Your surfboard is the largest, hardest object available to you, and keeping it between your body and the shark reduces the chance of direct contact.
If the shark makes contact, fight back. Target the eyes, gills, and nose, which are the most sensitive areas. Use the nose or fins of your board, your fist, or anything solid. Sharks typically release after a strong defensive response. Playing dead does not work with sharks the way it can with some land predators.
If Someone Is Bitten
Shark bites while surfing are rare, but when they happen, bleeding control is the immediate priority. Your surf leash can serve as an improvised tourniquet. In one well-documented case, a trauma nurse named Joseph Tanner was bitten while surfing in Oregon and swam to shore under his own power. He then directed bystanders to use his surfboard leash as a tourniquet on his leg while they waited roughly 15 minutes for an ambulance. He walked them through what to look for, asking whether they could see spurting blood (a sign of arterial bleeding). Bystanders placed him on his board and six people carried him to the parking lot.
If you or someone nearby is bitten, wrap the leash tightly above the wound (between the wound and the heart) and tighten it until the bleeding slows significantly. Get the person out of the water and onto the beach. Apply direct pressure with a towel, wetsuit, or clothing if a tourniquet isn’t enough. Call emergency services immediately. Most surf beaches have response times under 20 minutes, and controlling blood loss in that window is what saves lives.
Reducing Your Risk Before It Happens
Most shark encounters are preventable with basic awareness. Avoid surfing at dawn, dusk, and night, when many shark species actively hunt. Stay out of murky water, especially near river mouths after rain, where reduced visibility increases the chance of a mistaken-identity encounter. Don’t surf near groups of baitfish, diving birds, or seal colonies, all of which attract predators.
Surfing in groups reduces individual risk. A lone surfer silhouetted against the surface is a more ambiguous shape to a shark looking up from below than a cluster of people. Avoid wearing high-contrast clothing or shiny jewelry, which can resemble fish scales in the water.
If your local break has had recent sightings, check with lifeguards or community reporting apps before paddling out. Sharks often patrol the same areas for days when food sources are present. A 24 to 48 hour buffer after a confirmed sighting is a reasonable precaution.