Florida Named as Shark Attack Capital of the World — with U.S. Waters the Global No.1 for Bites

Swimmers must be extra careful when swimming in Florida!

According to the International Shark Attack File shared by the Florida Museum, there have been 351 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in the Volusia County area from 1882 to the present, followed by 159 in Brevard and 83 in Palm Beach.

ISAF’s 2023 Shark Attack Report states that Florida had the most unprovoked bites in the U.S. last year with 16, meaning the state represents 44 percent of the U.S. total and 23 percent of unprovoked bites reported worldwide . However, the report said, “That’s lower than Florida’s most recent five-year annual average of 19 incidents.”

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The big white sign in Cape Cod.

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Florida was followed by eight bites in Hawaii in 2023, one of which was fatal. New York follows with four bites, before California with two bites; one of which was fatal. North Carolina recorded three bites in 2023, South Carolina two, and New Jersey one.

Of the 16 bites reported in Florida, eight were in Volusia County. “Of the eight remaining bites, two were in Brevard County, two in St. Lucie County, and one each occurred in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Escambia and Pinellas counties,” the report continued.

The new report says the global total of unprovoked shark bites was slightly higher than average last year, but the number decreased from 41 incidents recorded in the US in 2022 to a total of 36 and two deaths in 2023.

New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida.

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Overall, the US came out on top, followed by Australia with 15 bites, four of which were fatal, according to the 2023 report.

“Seven of these occurred in Western Australia, of which one was fatal (a bull shark), and five bites occurred in South Australia, of which three were fatal (all white sharks). One bite was reported for Queensland , for New South Wales, and for Tasmania during the year,” ISAF said.

The report states that 42 percent of shark attack victims were either surfing or participating in board sports at the time of the encounter. 39 percent swam/waded, 13 percent dived/snorkeled, and six percent listed as “other.”

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Aerial view of Daytona Beach, Florida.

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“The total number of unprovoked shark bites worldwide remains extremely low. Deaths have increased over the past year. The majority of deaths in 2023 were caused by white shark bites (three in Australia, one in California),” he adds in the report.

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The number of shark attacks from 1926 to today increases around the summer, with the highest number occurring in September, according to the chart.

According to data shared by the Florida Museum, there have been 926 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in Florida from 1882 to the present.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education