We've all seen Jaws. And we've all gone to bed that night only to wake up screaming after becoming the latest in a long line of victims of that blood-thirsty shark (okay, maybe that was just me, but you get the point).

But in reality, far from the watery waves of my violent nightmares, what are the odds of being gobbled up by a big toothy chondrichthye?

Pretty slim, actually.

In fact, according to the 'Rethink the Shark' campaign (check out the TV ads on page two) from a few years back, you are more likely to lose your life to toasters, kites, Christmas tree lights or chairs.

Simply put, sharks have been given a bad name by the press. Don't get me wrong, they are by no means cuddly creatures... but neither are many of the other dangerous wild animals on land. But since we can cage up or fence off the likes of lions, tigers and crocodiles, they don?t seem quite as threatening.

Think about it ? humans aren't anywhere near the top of the preferred meal list for sharks, which are far happier feeding on aquatic organisms.

Annually, bees are responsible for more deaths worldwide than sharks are. But do you break into a cold sweat, gripped by fear, when one buzzes by? I didn't think so. Yet catch a whiff of the fresh salty air and thoughts soon turn to the nightmare of being devoured by a savage shark in the fashion seen only in movies like Deep Blue Sea.

To some extent, the lack of awareness and education around sharks can be attributed to the so-called 'predators of the deep' still being a relative mystery. Humans have collected far less information about sharks than about most other animals.

So, why do statistics show that shark attacks are steadily on the up? Well, many factors are involved.

As time goes by, humans are making more and more use of the ocean, for both commercial and recreational purposes. It is understandable that this increased contact with sharks will yield a higher incident rate. There is a direct correlation between the number of people in the water and the number of attacks on people by sharks.

Furthermore, the steady increase in the human population means the number of people who use the ocean for recreation is also inflated, boosting the chances of contact.

There are also a number of other unproven theories, ranging from the effects of cage-diving and overfishing to global warming (the hypothesis being that an increase in sea temperatures would influence the seasonal movements of marine life).

The fact is that sharks are more suitable to the description 'victim' than we are. As many as 100-million sharks are killed by humans each year. Compare that to the handful of fatal shark attacks on beachgoers annually and you will understand how one-sided this 'battle' really is.

Being attacked by a shark is not something you should rule out if you make regular use of the ocean, specifically in higher risk areas.

Just as you should look both ways before crossing a busy street, paying close attention to where and when you use the ocean is likely to keep you out of harm's way.

Watch the humourous 'Rethink the Shark' campaign videos on page two...