‘Alpha predator' sharks and humans clash on an Israeli beach

Al Arabiya

17-05-2025

With its golden sand and blue waters, the beach in central Israel looks like any other stretch of Mediterranean coast — but a closer look reveals something unusual peeking through the surf: black shark fins.
The sharks are drawn to this patch of water in Hadera during the cold season because of the warmth generated by turbines at a nearby power station. This has led to a tense and adrenaline-filled coexistence between the bold ocean predators and curious — sometimes careless — humans who come to swim.
Last month, a man who ventured too close was mauled to death as spectators screamed in terror from the beach. All that was left were his bones, rescuers told AFP.
Now, swimmers, authorities, and environmental and shark experts are asking how such an unprecedented event in Israeli waters occurred — and what can be done to prevent another.
'Sharks do not harm and never normally attack unless they feel threatened or someone invades their territory,' said Irene Nurit Cohn, a seasoned diver and member of rescue agency Zaka's scuba unit.
'I've been diving since 1982. I've seen many sharks in my life — it's been thrilling and beautiful to watch them... but they're not, and I repeat, they're not dangerous,' she said.
Cohn, who was part of the team that searched for the remains of 45-year-old Barak Tzach, a father of four, emphasized that it was the people visiting the unique site who were 'not behaving as they should.'
'People were touching them and disturbing them,' she said, noting that recent media coverage had attracted even more visitors.
Immediately after the fatal attack, local authorities erected metal fences with 'danger' signs and blocked access to the adjacent nature reserve with a cement barrier. But two weeks later, those were removed — and life on the beach returned to normal.
Teenagers Einav and Carmel, from a nearby town, were largely undeterred. They had come specifically to see the sharks.
'Sharks are my favourite animals, and I really wanted to see them,' said Carmel. 'But we said we won't go into the water because it's dangerous.'
Matan Ben David, a spear-fishing and diving instructor who said he continues to enter the water, stressed the importance of maintaining distance and respecting marine rules.
'Sharks are part of nature — something we have to respect,' he said. 'We have to respect the ocean. We're just visitors here.' He described how people often crowded the sharks and took photos.
'Sharks are incredible animals — very majestic. But they're an alpha predator, and at the end of the day, a lot of people don't follow best practices,' he added.
Like all unsupervised beaches in Israel, the one where the deadly attack occurred is off-limits to swimming — a ban that is widely flouted.
Leigh Livine, a shark researcher who has monitored the area for four years, said early studies showed the sharks largely avoided direct conflict with humans entering the water.
'But you have a very, very small space where this human-wildlife conflict really surfaces at certain times of the year,' she said.
The sharks — a mix of dusky and sandbar species — typically appear between November and May. But rising temperatures due to climate change are increasing both shark presence and human activity in the water.
Livine said she was shocked by last month's attack, but also surprised it hadn't happened sooner.
'It usually comes down to a conflict of space — food resources, space resources — and we've been seeing humans harass the sharks, really provoking them,' she said.