“Falling coconuts kill 150 people worldwide each year, 15 times the number of fatalities attributable to sharks,” said George Burgess, Director of the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File and a noted shark researcher.⁠ “The reality is that, on the list of potential dangers encountered in aquatic recreation, sharks are right at the bottom of the list,” said Burgess, who was one of three scientists participating in a 2002 National Sea Grant College Program and NOAA Fisheries-sponsored press briefing on sharks and the risks of shark attacks at the National Press Club.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ If a coconut weighing 2 kg falls 25 meters onto a person’s head, the impact velocity is 80 km/hr. (50mph). The decelerating force on the head will vary depending on whether a direct or glancing blow is received. The distance over which the coconut is decelerated is also an important factor. Thus, an infant’s head lying on the ground would receive a much greater force than that obtained by the h...