Sharks, just like heat and hurricanes, are just a fact of life in Florida.
Florida is known as the shark bite capital of the world. And Volusia County leads the state in the number of unprovoked attacks, according to the International Shark Attack File.
TheInternational Shark Attack Fileis maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. The report lists 351 unprovoked shark attacks in Volusia County from 1882 to 2023. That's more than double the number reported by the No. 2 county, Brevard, with 158 attacks.
In 2023, half of the 16 unprovoked attacks reported in Florida happened in Volusia County.
And 2024 isn't going well for Volusia County, either.
We asked a shark expert several questions about sharks around Florida. Here the answers provided by Dr. Gavin Naylor, director of Florida Program for Shark Research and curator of Florida Museum of Natural History.
But first ...
2024 Florida shark attacks
Three people werebitten by sharks off Volusia County shores in five days. One man wasbitten at New Smyrna Beach on July 4, another thenext day in the same area, and a 14-year-old Monday wasbitten a few miles away in Ponce InletMonday morning, according to Volusia County Beach Safety officials.
But Volusia isn't alone this year when it comes to shark attacks.
Two teenagers and a woman were injuredintwo shark attacks less than two hours apartinWalton Countyin the Florida Panhandle. The woman lost her lower left arm and suffered "significant trauma" to other areas of her body.
One of the teens lost her hand and her right leg had to be amputated.
Elsewhere, a man wascritically injured with a severe bite to his right armnear Fernandina Beach in Nassau County.
How close to shore can sharks come?
"Fairly close. Some large sharks can swim in waters that are 1 or 2 feet deep," Naylor said.
For an adult, that's about up to your shin, below your knee. Surprised?
Is there a time of day when sharks are more likely to come the closest to shore?
This varies by species, Naylor said.
"Bull sharks are tolerant of fresh water and so can travel into estuaries and rivers, so I would say they are the species that are least constrained by habitat and they can be found inshore at all times of the day (and night)."
What is most likely reason they come close to shore?
Sharks follow food, baitfish.
It’s been reported that dawn and dusk are the worst times to be in the water, but there have been bites well outside of those times. Why is that?
"Bites are possible any time of day — and varies by species," Naylor said.
Is there really a worst time for shark attacks/bites around Florida these days?
"Probably dawn and or dusk. But an important concern is don't going swimming on your own. If you run into trouble, there may be no one to help you!"
Volusia County repeatedly takes the title where most bites occur. Is there a reason, or even speculation, on why that is?
"Yes. High density of surfers in a small section of beach that has a lot of baitfish that constitute a reliable source of food for the black-tip sharks in the area," Naylor said.
"The high energy environment (surf) churns up the water, making visibility poor, which predisposes the sharks to make mistakes when pursuing their prey, resulting in occasional bites on surfers' arms or legs."
Around Florida, are you more likely to encounter sharks along the Gulf or Atlantic coast?
This depends on time of year and species.
"The Gulf Coast is much less developed than is the Atlantic Coast and, as a result, has more available habitat. There is more shark diversity in terms of species in the Gulf side."
That includes: tiger sharks, bull sharks, black tips, lemons, great hammerheads, bonnetheads, scalloped hammerheads , fine tooths, spinners and Atlantic sharpnose.
"On the Atlantic side, there has been much more development for tourism and, as a consequence, there is less unspoiled habitat — so we see less species diversity," Naylor said.
"However, we do still see a lot of black-tips, spinners and sand-bar sharks on the Atlantic coast. The blacktips are probably the most numerous on the Atlantic coast and are in highest densities during the migrations in March when they move north to the Carolinas for the summer and in October when they return to South Florida for the winter."
Are there certain months when sharks are more likely to come closer to shore?
"Any months where baitfish come close to shore! Usually the summer."
What types of sharks are most common in Florida waters?
Get ready for a long list. Naylor said these sharks are common in Florida waters:
- Black-tips
- Atlantic sharp-nose
- Spinners
- Bull sharks
- Lemon sharks
- Sand-bar sharks
- Black-nose sharks
- Fine-tooth sharks
- Dusky sharks
- Nurse sharks
- Great hammerheads
- Scallopped hammerheads
- Bonnet heads
- Tiger sharks
Of those, which ones are most likely to be encountered by swimmers?
Black-tips and Atlantic sharp-nose.
Is there a difference between Gulf and Atlantic waters on what sharks are most prevalent?
"Yes. Black tips usually are more prevalent on Atlantic side, especially during migration.
Bull sharks, bonnet heads, Atlantic sharp-nose and black-tips and tigers are fairlycommon on the Gulf side."
Which shark or sharks do you consider the most aggressive in Florida waters?
Bull sharks.
How many shark bites were there worldwide in 2023?
The Florida Museum of Natural History’sInternational Shark Attack Fileinvestigated 120 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2023.
Sixty-nine were confirmed as unprovoked shark biteson humans and 22 were found to be provoked bites.
Breakdown of 2023 reports around the world:
- Unprovoked bites: 69
- Provoked bites: 22
- Boat bites: 9
- Scavenge: 2 (post-mortem bites)
- Public Aquaria: 1
- No assignment could be made: 1
- Not confirmed: 16
Florida remains shark bite capital of the US
Florida continues to be the No. 1 location for the number of shark bites.
There were 16 bites — although none were fatal — confirmed in 2023. That's lower than Florida's historic average of 19 incidents a year.
- Florida:16 bites, none fatal
- Hawaii:8 bites, 1 fatal
- New York:4 bites, none fatal
- California:2 bites, 1 fatal
- North Carolina:3 bites, none fatal
- South Carolina:2 bites, none fatal
- New Jersey:1 bite, none fatal
Top 10: Confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in Floridafrom 1882 to present
- Volusia County: 351
- Brevard County: 158
- Palm Beach County: 83
- St. Johns County: 45
- Duval County:46
- Martin County: 41
- St. Lucie County: 39
- Indian River County: 22
- Monroe County: 21
- Miami-Dade County: 20
Can you avoid being bitten by a shark?
- Swim with a buddy. Most sharks are more likely to approach a solitary person.
- Stay close to shore.
- Be careful around the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffs, both popular shark hangouts.
- Stay out of the water at dawn or dusk when sharks are more active and feeding.
- Avoid shiny jewelry or reflective swimwear that might resemble the sheen of fish scales.
- Avoid areas where people are fishing or areas with known effluents or sewage. Stay away from areas with diving seabirds.
- Be careful in murky water. Some shark species may not see you very well either, and there can be confusion.
- Try not to splash too much, especially in a single spot. Sharks may investigate to see if you are a fish in distress.
- If a shark is spotted, slowly and calmly get out of the water.
Contributor: C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network-Florida
