I was inspired to create this map after reading the book, Close to Shore, by Michael Capuzzo, based on the incredible true story of the New Jersey shark attacks of 1916. All but one of the five attacks were fatal. The only other map I found online was lacking in detail and character, so I decided to make one myself. I wanted to highlight the timeline and locations of each of the incidents, with a better view of the region around Matawan, where a shark traveled more than a mile up a shallow muddy creek. I illustrated two shark species, the white and the bull, because (even to this day) there is debate about which of the two, or both, were responsible for the attacks. Bull sharks are known to swim in fresh water, making it the most likely suspect in the Matawan attacks. After a giant great white was captured and killed on July 14, there were no more attacks.
Note: though these shark attacks were gruesome in nature, my map is not intended to be sensationalistic or to malign sharks. Rather, I simply felt a better map was needed to represent these historic events. Personally, I have profound admiration and respect for all marine life, particularly sharks. To keep shark attacks in perspective, in the period 1970-2000, there were around 12 human fatalities attributed to sharks, whereas in that same period roughly 1,500 people died from coastal lightning strikes. According to the Australian government, there are only around 10 deaths by shark bite any given year worldwide, with many many more people dying from bees, automobiles and even falling coconuts! [Source: aims.gov.au]