Great White Shark – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Martin Prochazkacz
The global center for shark encounters is Volusia County in Florida.
The Sunshine State is home to the most number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, with 351 attacks recorded in Volusia County alone since 1882, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
With 158 attacks, Brevard County is next, followed by Palm Beach with 83.
According to the Florida Museum, unprovoked bites “are defined as incidents in which a bite on a live human occurs in the shark’s natural habitat with no human provocation of the shark.”
The report states that since 1926, September has seen the most shark attacks.
In addition, July, August, and October rank among the months when attacks in Florida happen most frequently.
According to the research, there were 36 documented unprovoked attacks in the United States in 2023, compared to 41 in 2022.
Australia had 15, the second-highest number of attacks worldwide in the previous year.
Following Florida, which had 16 documented shark bites overall, Hawaii had eight unprovoked bites in 2023.
There were four in New York, three in North Carolina, two in each of South Carolina and California, and one in New Jersey.
The latest research states that the majority of people who were bitten by sharks in 2018 were either surfers or engaged in board sports.
Board sports and surfing accounted for 42 percent of attacks in 2023.
Swimming/wading accounted for 39 percent and snorkeling/free-diving for 13 percent
after that. A total of 6 percent of attacks were classified as “other.”
When diving into the ocean, particularly in areas where shark attacks are known to occur more frequently, there are a few safety measures you should follow to lower your risk.
The Florida Museum of National History has provided the following list of safety precautions.
- Go swimming with a friend.
- Don’t go too far from the coast
- Stay out of the water at dawn and dusk
- Avoid swimming near fish schools or areas where fishing is being done.
- Steer clear of bright jewelry and excessive splashing.
Make sure you are staying up-to-date with the latest and most important Florida news with Florida Insider. Whether you are interested in business, education, government, history, sports, real estate, nature, weather, or travel: we have something for everyone. Follow along for the best stories in the Sunshine State.
Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
