Shark Week should be considered a national holiday. With dozens of episodes on Discovery channel, Shark Week brings hours upon hours of entertainment for viewers all over the country. This special week is dedicated to showing the pure power and awesomeness of the ocean's top predator.

Sharks are one of my biggest fears, and I’m sure hundreds of people can agree with that. Unfortunately, this fear has stopped me from going farther than knee-deep in the ocean.Yet, Shark Week shows many episodes depicting sharks as not being dangerous creatures. So, how possible is my fear to be bitten by a shark?

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, in 2014 sharks bit a total of 52 people in the United States. Out of that number the highest number of attacks was in Florida totaling 28 bites, and Hawaii comes in second with 7 bites. Compared to 2013 this number did increase from 47 attacks, but out of the total number of people who visit the beach each year those are pretty good odds. Although my dad still tells me I’m more likely to win the lottery and get struck by lightning in the same day, I’m still a bit skeptical if he is actually telling the truth or if he just wanted me to get into the water.

There is a stigma hints that sharks that they are constantly looking for people to eat. If I’ve learned anything from Shark Week, it's that most sharks will not attack unless provoked or confused and that sharks are not looking for humans as prey. Daredevils who think petting sharks is a good idea or inexperienced divers who swim into shark-populated waters hoping for a chance of an unforgettable experience, may increase their odds of being attacked. However, there are sharks that find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, just as humans do.

We have all heard that sharks see surfers as seals since their wet suits and shadows from underwater looks very similar. Sharks truly believe that what they are going for are their usual prey. They are not knowledgeable enough to tell if what they see is a human on a surfboard until they take the first bite. Usually after the first bite sharks realize their mistake and let the victim go. Out of the 52 people attacked in 2014 on file for the Florida Museum, none of them were killed. This is a result from sharks not wanting to continue eating what they had bitten at first and, of course, the fast action from people around the attack victim.

If it’s statistically clear that sharks are not out to attack people, why do they scare people so much?

I can think of a few reasons why very easily. Size, unpredictability and the number of very sharp teeth. Every image I have seen of sharks is terrifying to me, but one of the most uncomfortable things about sharks is not knowing where they are. That was the most frightening part of the popular film Jaws (1975). Researchers have started to tag sharks in known areas where they are prevalent around humans to lower the number of attack possibilities. Knowing that people are out in the water trying to keep these animals safe while keeping beaches safe is slightly more comforting. By working together instead of against sharks, maybe one day their reputation will overcome our fears.

After all, you’re more likely to die being hit in the head by a coconut than be killed by a shark.