Shark bites aren’t something you hear about every day, but it can still happen, and beachgoers will need to be on guard. (Video from July 2022)
Research shows the U.S. is once again the shark attack capital of the world after recording more than half of all unprovoked bites in 2023.
The data comes from the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) report, which shows there were 69 reports of unprovoked shark bites around the world in 2023, with 36 of those, or 52%, occurring in the U.S.
That number is slightly higher than the most recent five-year average of 63 incidents annually. However, the number of unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S. last year was slightly lower than the 41 incidents reported in 2022.
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Where did the most U.S. shark attacks happen in 2023?
A Florida woman is recovering after being bitten by a shark near the St. Petersburg Pier over the weekend. (Video from August 2023)
According to the ISAF, Florida has long topped global charts for the number of shark attacks, and 2023 was no different.
Florida had the most shark bites in 2023, with the Sunshine State seeing 16 bites last year. That number represents 44% of the U.S. total and 23% of unprovoked bites around the world.
Perhaps some good news – the number of bites last year is actually lower than Florida’s most recent five-year average of 19 incidents.
Volusia County in Florida recorded eight unprovoked bites, representing 50% of the state’s total in 2023. Of the remaining eight bites, Brevard County and St. Lucie County each recorded two bites and one bite was recorded in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Escambia and Pinellas counties.
Hawaii took second spot with eight unprovoked bites, including one that was fatal.
There were two unprovoked bites in California – one of which was fatal – four in New York, three in North Carolina, two in South Carolina and one in New Jersey.
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How many people died from shark attacks in 2023?
A tiger shark rammed and bit a fisherman’s kayak off Hawaii’s Oahu island on Friday, May 12. Video recorded by Scott Haraguchi shows the animal charge at him and bite his kayak. Haraguchi then kicks the shark away. (video from May 2023)
According to the ISAF, there were 14 confirmed shark-related fatalities worldwide in 2023, with 10 of those designated as unprovoked. Of those 14, two were in the U.S. and four were in Australia.
The ISAF defines an unprovoked bite as one in which “a bite on a live human occurs in the shark’s natural habitat with no human provocation of the shark.”
The number of fatalities last year was higher than the five-year global average of six unprovoked attacks per year.
Three of the four unprovoked shark attacks in Australia were surfers who were bitten by great white sharks.