Shark attacks in Italy: the story of the diver killed by a great white

ROME – The number of sightings of sharks along the shores of the Italian seas. On the one hand global warming and on the other overfishing have led these animals to move ever closer to the coast. looking for food. A phenomenon that is affecting the whole world, but which represents something new for us.

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‘DANGEROUS’ SHARKS

Of the more than 500 shark species that swim in waters around the world, only 12 are considered potentially dangerous for the human being. Those responsible for most bites are the great white (Carcharodon carcharias), lo tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), the leuca (Carcharhinus leucas) and the longimanus (Carcharhinus longimanus). However, all sharks, large and small, are predators and may be capable of inflicting wounds if provoked.

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The potentially dangerous shark species in Italian seas there are three: the makoThe great white and to a lesser extent the blue shark. The latter is not aggressive in nature, but attacks if frightened.

SHARK ATTACKS IN ITALY

Although sightings are common, shark attacks are rare in our waters. From 1900 to today, about 40 incidents have been reported. Of these, fewer than 10 fatalities. The last fatal attack happened in 1989 in the Gulf of Baratti (Piombino), where the diver lost his life Luciano Costanzo.

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THE STORY OF LUCIANO COSTANZO

On the morning of February 2, 1989, Luciano Costanzo goes out on a boat with his son and a friend off the Gulf of Baratti, near Piombino. The man, 47 years old and a diver for passion, dives, while the others remain on board. A few minutes pass when a fin emerges from the water. Luciano quickly returns to the surface and the boat heads towards him to bring him to safety. According to the account of the two witnesses, the diver was reached first by the shark. A series of attacks and then the fatal one: Luciano is bitten and dragged under water.

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After a desperate search, the two return to shore to alert the rescue. The Port Authority mobilizes, without success. No trace of either the man or the shark. Several rounds go by, the searches go on. Three days later she is found on the seabed part of Luciano’s diving gear. The analyzes on the finds confirm that the man was attacked by a shark, according to reconstructions, a great white.

This was the last time that a shark was responsible for the death of a human being in Italian waters.