Just how common are shark attacks in Canada, anyway?

For swimmers, there are few things more nightmare-inducing than the thought of a shark lurking at your feet. But do beachgoers in Canada really need to be stressing out about an unwelcome starring role in another Jaws sequel?

Sharks have long had something of a bad reputation, thanks in no small part to Hollywood. Movies like Deep Blue Sea and Bait have turned them into toothy killing machines that have nothing better to do than hunt seemingly innocent swimmers for no reason.

In reality, most sharks are not interested in humans at all; they’re much more interested in hunting down food like fish, seals, or plankton.

Besides, Canada isn’t exactly prime shark territory. Most of the country’s water is simply too cold for most of the 500 shark species, while the freshwater lakes and rivers Canadians love to swim in are a no-go for the animal — phew!

That’s not to say that Canadian waters are completely shark-free, though.

Last week, Montreal Gazette reported a diver who was bitten by a shark while diving about five metres below the surface off Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula. The diver was rushed to hospital and survived the incident.

Then, just two days later, another shark sighting made waves, this time in Nova Scotia.

A basking shark, initially mistaken by some observers for a dolphin, was spotted swimming near the Bedford Basin Yacht Club. Video captured by staff members showed the enormous animal cruising through the water with its distinctive fin above the surface. Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun.

Basking sharks are the second-largest shark species in the world (after whale sharks), growing up to 40 feet long and weighing as much as 11,000 pounds. Despite their massive size, they’re less interested in chewing on human bones and more into plankton and other tiny organisms from the water.

Great white sharks, on the other hand, are a different story.

According to the Canadian Shark Attack Registry, shark attacks in Canadian waters are “exceptionally rare.” The registry lists 31 reported cases over the past 330 years, including 15 confirmed cases and four that have been discredited.

Of those reported attacks, only one has been fatal in Canada, but the registry did not provide additional details of that incident.

Sightings of great white sharks have been increasing in Atlantic Canadian waters, according to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative. In July, for instance, the group was called in to examine a 1,200-pound dead shark that washed ashore at a beach near Halifax.

In 2021, a 21-year-old woman survived a great white shark attack off Cape Breton Island and later recounted the experience during Discovery’s Shark Week.

According to the Canadian Shark Attack Registry’s database, almost half of the reported shark attacks in Canada have occurred in Nova Scotia. There have also been a handful of incidents in Newfoundland, and a couple in other locations including Tofino, British Columbia, and even Pond Inlet, Nunavut.

Long story short, sharks can be found in Canadian waters, but try to relax — they’re not exactly lining up to take a bite out of all of us. Just 31 reported attacks in 330 years? Those odds sound pretty good.

But if you do happen to spot something mysterious in the distance, there’s a simple way to tell whether you’re looking at a shark or a whale: check the tail.

Sharks’ tail fins are vertical, and they use them in a side-to-side motion to swim, while dolphins’ tails are horizontal and they use them in an up-and-down motion to swim, says Marine Sanctuary.

If you see a fin in the water and it’s vertical, like a periscope on a submarine, it’s time to quickly make your way back to land.