Florida: The Shark Attack Capital of the World
In a striking statistic shared by the American magazine “People,” it has been revealed that the state of Florida is the region with the highest number of “unprovoked” shark attacks globally.
According to the statistic, 351 unprovoked shark attacks have been recorded in Volusia County from 1882 to the present day, 159 in Brevard, and 83 in Palm Beach.
The 2023 report by the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) on shark attacks indicates that Florida beachgoers are the most susceptible to shark bites. Last year, the predators recorded 16 bites, the highest among other countries. However, the report noted that “this is below the recent five-year annual average in Florida, which was 19 incidents.”
Hawaii ranked second with 8 shark bites in 2023, one of which was fatal, followed by New York with four bites, California with two (one of which was fatal), North Carolina with three bites in 2023, South Carolina with two, and New Jersey with one.
The new report mentioned that the global total of unprovoked shark attacks was slightly above average last year, but the number dropped from 41 incidents recorded in the United States in 2022 to 36 incidents overall and two fatalities in 2023.
Overall, the United States ranked first in human shark bites, followed by Australia with 15 bites, four of which were fatal, according to the 2023 report.
The report also highlighted that 42% of shark attack victims were surfing at the time of the incident, 39% were swimming, 13% were diving, and 6% fell into another category.
The number of shark attacks has been rising from 1926 to the present day during the summer season, with most 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 day.
