The "Seeing That Fin In The Water Can Be Heartstopping!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about why people get bitten by white sharks when they are swimming in the ocean.  The sub-head of the article I was reading said: Scientists think many great white attacks on humans are mistakes.  Doesn't make me feel any safer to go into the ocean...does it you?  Months-old sharks feast on fish and other small fry while older juveniles are finally big enough to tackle seals and other meatier meals.  My guess is that you and I would be classified as "other meatier meals."  Young white sharks are also said to have less-than-stellar eyesight and are also likely colorblind, rendering the ocean in shades of gray.  So how can you blame one of those baby white sharks  from seeing an appetizing shadowy oval above them when you are swimming and head toward you for their next meal?   Actually it is mistaken identity that draws them to you as you are swimming so you can hardly blame them for seeing an appetizing meal above them.  Scientists believe in the theory of "mistaken identity" as an explanation for unprovoked shark bites on humans, which by the way really are rather rare.  You and I, whether we be on a surfboard or just swimming along the top of the water, look no different to a shark than a plump sea lion who is swimming near them.  So why are these white sharks given such a bad rap?  Maybe because they can kill us in a few minutes when they find they are hungry.  The sharks that are the biggest threat to us, beside the great white, are the bull sharks and the tiger sharks.  And, it seems that most of the bites to humans are from the juvenile sharks that are between 8-10 feet long.  As I continued to read I found that most white sharks usually release a person after the first bite, which may suggest they do not actively hunt humans as prey.  Make you feel any better?  

The White Shark

Sharks vision is mostly in grayscale with a minimal ability to see detail.  The visual cues a hunting shark most relies on are motion and brightness contrast.  So how can the sharks distinguish between humans and other prey?  I could find no good reasons!  Seems that the number of people swimming in the oceans today has increased significantly from years ago, yet there hasn't been a spike in shark bites.  What might be the reason for that?  I found no answer to my question so I assume that the sharks are getting better at finding the correct prey for their meals.  Investigations into shark vision suggest it is still the same as it used to be, but that the shark's other senses could be getting better.  If the answer lies with a shark's other senses, such as scent, this could determine what interventions would make sense to prevent encounters in the wild.  I may have to look into a special scent spray that might direct the sharks away from humans.  Probably would make me rich If I found one!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.