Shark attacks are a rarity, despite sharks' fearsome reputation. A 2009 attack on a swimmer in Hawaii by a small cookiecutter shark is the first documented by that species.

Love them or hate them, sharks are a vital part of the Earth's ecosystem. Here are some of the places where you may be most likely to encounter one yourself.

"Just, like, a lightning strike -- the shark came out of nowhere," Matt Bender told ABC News from his hospital bed on Sunday, describing the attack. "I just felt it chomp down on my arm.

A loving husband, father and grandfather killed in a shark attack in Hawaii this weekend had a "sense of adventure" that "always pushed him to try new things," his wife said. Thomas Smiley, 65, of ...

"Just, like, a lightning strike -- the shark came out of nowhere," Matt Bender told ABC News from his hospital bed on Sunday, describing the attack. "I just felt it chomp down on my arm. It felt like ...