Forget sharks: 7 things in the water swimmers should actually fear

It’s shark season — primarily on cable TV. As the decades-long tradition of “Shark Week” approaches, you can expect once again to hear of “serial killer” sharks, attacks near major coastal cities, and menacing, massive shark swarms.

But, as you probably also know, shark attacks are incredibly unlikely. You’re 75 times more likely to be killed by lightning than by a shark. On average, one person dies of a shark attack every other year in the United States.

But just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water … just kidding, it’s still mostly safe. But swimmers face real risks that are of a much less telegenic variety.

Here, seven things swimmers should actually be afraid of — and how to avoid them.

1. Cryptosporidium

Outbreaks of this over the past couple years. Crypto spreads through the feces of infected animals, including humans — a running theme of this list. It takes just 10 crypto parasites to get sick, and an infected person sheds 10 to 100 in a single bowel movement. Crypto is the most common infection at recreational water sites like pools and water parks, since the parasite’s tough outer shell makes it resistant to chlorine.