That "stand still and stare away" thing works great on big, scary dogs - when they are not being aggressive. Otherwise, you'd better figure out how you are either going to fight or escape. If you're a feeble 85lb old lady, with no weapon, that, along with "curl up in a motionless ball" might be your only choice. You won't be motionless for long as the dogs rip the flesh from your limbs.
Stare down a shark? Wouldn't that just make it easier for the vile toothy creature to bite your head off?
As you might guess, I didn't do well on the dog and shark part of the test.