National Geographic's 'SharkFest' Examines 1916 LBI Shark Attack

BEACH HAVEN, NJ — One century ago, American scholars doubted that sharks could kill a person without provocation. That changed after the original Jersey Shore shark attacks, when sharks killed four people and injured another in a series of attacks from July 1-12 of 1916.

The initial attack took place July 1 at Beach Haven. Charles Epting Vansant, 25, was bitten on the leg and bled to death on the manager's desk of the Engleside Hotel at 6:45 p.m. that evening, according to documentation.

The other attacks took place days later in Matawan and Spring Lake. National Geographic examined the 1916 attacks and what they could tell us about sharks' instincts. The channel is in the midst of "SharkFest," which replaced "Shark Week" this year with three weeks of shark programming.

The initial Beach Haven attack took place at around 5 p.m., according to National Geographic. Recent research suggests sharks can use the angle of the sun to give themselves a predatory advantage, according to Professor Daniel Huber of the University of Tampa Shark Lab.

When the sun sits high in the sky, it illuminates the water so brightly that prey can more likely see them coming. During dawn and dusk, sharks can hide themselves better, Huber said.

"They’ll position the sun behind themselves so if the prey were to look where the shark is coming from, it’s going to be blinded by the sun," Huber said.

Experts have advised beachgoers to avoid the water early and late in the day, according to National Geographic. However, Huber said most victims were bitten in the afternoon, and data doesn't support the idea that the sun's angle was the key to the 1916 attacks.

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