Following the death of a British newlywed in the Seychelles and the apparent attack on a tourist in Vieques, off Puerto Rico, another attack occurred this week in the most unlikely of places: Russia's eastern coast.
The double attacks were the first ever recorded in the area, which borders North Korea.
In the first, a 25-year-old man had his arms bitten off after trying to fight off the shark by hitting it in the nose, according to The New York Times. He survived the attack and his wife, who was swimming with him in the Sea of Japan, escaped unharmed.
In the second incident, near Zheltukhina Island, a 16-year-old teen suffered bites to his lower body. A physician told a Russian TV station the wounds looked like "someone had passed a sharpened rake over the legs," the AP reports, adding that he survived after at least six hours of surgery.
Scientists say that climate change may be responsible for bringing sharks to Russian shores. Drawn to unfamiliar waters, one marine scientist tells the New York Times, it's certainly possible that a shark would attack a human, something the underwater predators don't normally do. Contrary to what summer blockbusters would have us think, sharks don't like the taste of humans, scientists say.
Meanwhile, Russia's eastern beaches are posting warnings and banned swimming at some beaches along the Sea of Japan. Some of the advice: "If a shark tries to attack you, fight it off; try to hit it in the eyes and gills."
Good thinking and good luck.