A great white shark swims past a caged diver off North Neptune Island in South Australia.
AS Tasmanians flock to the beach over the coming months, the collective nightmare of shark attacks will cause some to nervously look over their shoulder.
But while sightings generally increase over summer, there is still likely to be more people in the water than sharks.
Sharks, including the great white, are actually with us year-round, as they cruise the oceans in search of food.
There have been just 10 documented attacks in Tasmanian waters -- five of which were fatal.
The most recent victim was young surfer Hannah Mighall in 2009.
She was just 13 when she was attacked by a great white shark at Binalong Bay almost four years ago, escaping with leg injuries after being helped to shore by her older cousin Syb Mundy.
The attack gave Ms Mighall membership to an extremely small "club". Before that, the last person to be attacked by a shark in Tasmania was Exeter woman Therese Cartwright.
In June 1993, Mrs Cartwright was killed by a 4m white pointer while diving at the Barrenjoey Island seal colony near Low Head.
It was in this area that game fishers saw a great white shark on Tuesday. The crew had been burleying to attract mako sharks, but also attracted the interest of the great white, which stayed near the boat for two hours.
Shark expert Chris Black, who extensively researched Tasmanians' encounters with great whites for his book White Pointer South, said attitudes towards sharks were changing.
Even when a recent string of fatal attacks in Western Australia spurred calls for culling, there was an equally strong social-media-led movement for continued protection.
"It's a change in attitude that's been heartening to see," Mr Black said.
"It's great that people are interested and want to learn more."
He said most people involved in shark attacks in Tasmania had been diving at the time, making Ms Mighall's experience all the more unusual.
"We've 10 recorded attacks in Tasmanian waters and really that's a pretty good record given the number of great white sharks that are in our waters at any time of year," Mr Black said.
"A number of them [attacks] have been in the winter months."
He said hot spots for great white shark sightings included Bruny Island, the Tasman Peninsula, Bass Strait and the Scamander area on the East Coast.
Retired fisherman Alan Bradshaw, of South Arm, clearly remembers the day in 1981 when he pulled up a monstrous five-metre great white. The shark had become tangled in a net, and had died by the time the net was pulled.
"We had been trevally fishing and this net was really heavy. I thought we had a big ray ... it was a shock," Mr Bradshaw said.
He said professional fishers generally welcomed the sight of a great white shark, because the giant predators eat fish-stealing seals.
Surf Life Saving Tasmania general manager Tony van den Enden said surf lifesavers had plans in place in the event of a shark sighting near a popular beach.
These include the use of aerial patrols, maintaining contact with shark researchers at the CSIRO, and beach closures in the event of a sighting.
Mr van den Enden said any shark over 2m could be considered a potential threat to people.
"From late spring to mid-summer we get more sightings, but that could be because there are more people in and around the water," he said.
"It's normal behaviour for sharks to be in the surf zone."
Mr Black said he was heartened by an apparent public attitude shift, with more people seemingly more interested in protecting sharks rather than culling them.
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