American state is named shark attack capital of the world

An American beach has been named the shark bite capital of the world with the most attacks since records began, according to a new report. Daytona Beach in Volusia County, Florida, has had the highest concentration of unprovoked attacks globally with 351 since 1837, according to Florida University’s International Shark Attack File.

Florida as a whole has had 928 since records began, followed by Hawaii with 195 and California with 138. In 2023, there were 16 attacks – more than anywhere else in the world. On the country-wide level, the US tops the list with 1,640 attacks, followed by Australia with 706.

There was a slight uptick in the number of attacks last year, but they remain extremely rare and fatal or life-threatening attacks are even less common. There were 69 unprovoked bites in 2023 globally, according to the report, compared to the previous five-year average of 63 attacks – meaning you are more likely to win the lottery than get bitten by a shark.

Of those, ten were fatal, up from five the year before: four people died in Australia, two in the US and one each in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico and New Caledonia. Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program said: ‘This is within the range of the normal number of bites, though the fatalities are a bit unnerving this year.’

In total, the US had 36 unprovoked attacks, accounting for half of incidents worldwide. There was a fatal attack in California and another in Hawaii. Florida had 16 unprovoked non-fatal attacks last year, more than any other state. The report defines an unprovoked attack as when ‘a shark is in its natural habitat and attacks without any human provocation’ like using bait, or swimming up to them.

Naylor said: ‘We’re biologists, and we want to understand the natural behavior of the animals — not the unnatural behavior.’ The majority of the attacks happened between Memorial Day and Labor Day when the temperature rises and more people are in the sea. Surfers made up 42 percent of the global victims, with swimmers and waders making up another 39 percent.

Two swimmers were bitten by sharks on Labor Day last year near Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach. The man was bitten on his left hand, while a different shark bit a woman’s right foot, neither attack was life-threatening. Lifeguards in Volusia County say they see sharks regularly, but attacks are very rare.

‘Locals that live here interact with sharks on a daily basis and never have any issues. The bites here are a case of mistaken identity,’ Volusia Beach safety deputy chief Tammy Malphurs told WKMG-TV. The report says: ‘The vast majority of unprovoked attacks are test bites, which occur when a shark misidentifies a human as their preferred prey.

‘When this happens, the shark will typically swim away after a single bite. Some species like white sharks and tiger sharks, however, are large enough that even a single bite can be fatal.’ If you are attacked by a shark, experts recommend fighting back, concentrating on their eyes, gills and nose.

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