Why more extreme rain could mean more shark bites?

When it rains hard, the water on land washes dirty stuff into the ocean, which confuses sharks and brings them closer to where people swim.

Imagine you are drinking a glass of lemonade. Now, imagine someone dumps a handful of sugar into it. The drink tastes sweeter and looks a bit cloudy. That is what happens in the ocean after a big storm.

Runoff is the water that flows from streets, yards, and farms into the sea. This water carries silt, which is tiny dirt particles. It also carries smells from soap, food, and animals.

Sharks have an amazing sense of smell. In clean ocean water, they can smell a drop of blood from far away. But when silt makes the water cloudy, it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The shark cannot see well and its sense of smell gets "clogged" by all the new smells from the land.

Because they are confused, sharks swim closer to the shore to investigate. They might bite because they are unsure if you are prey or just a strange object.

Think of it like wearing foggy sunglasses. You bump into things more often because you can't see clearly.

So, more rain means more dirt in the water. More dirt means confused sharks. Confused sharks mean more chances for a bite. Stay away from the water after a big storm to be safe!