ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida is known for its sandy beaches, year-round sunshine and warmth, crystal clear waters and... shark bites?
According to recent data released by the University of Florida's Florida Museum, the Sunshine State leads the world in the number of shark bites reported over the past year. Across the world, there were 69 confirmed unprovoked bites in 2023, 10 of which were deadly.
Researchers say the total bites recorded is up from the five-year average of 63, but add the data supports long-term trends. The number of deaths doubled compared to 2022, with 40 percent happening in Australia.
Of the 36 unprovoked shark attacks recorded in the U.S., 16 were in Florida. While Florida led the nation and the world in the number of shark bites, none of the unprovoked attacks proved fatal. Only two deaths from shark bites were reported in the U.S. in 2023 — one in California and the other in Hawaii.
While researchers say the number of bites and attacks reported aren't abnormal, the number of total deaths for 2023 is "a bit unnerving."
“This is within the range of the normal number of bites, though the fatalities are a bit unnerving this year,” Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program said in a release.
Surfers experienced most of the unprovoked shark bites worldwide, while swimmers and waders came in second.
In addition to the 69 unprovoked bites last year, 22 other attacks were reported as "intentionally or unintentionally" provoked, when humans are intentionally going near a shark or swimming where bait is being used to lure fish.
Which Florida county has the most shark bites?
Since 1958, the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) has been the world's only "scientifically documented, comprehensive database" of known shark attacks.
Typically, Florida's East Coast sees the most shark bites and unprovoked attacks. Only one shark bite was recorded in the Tampa Bay area in 2023 when a St. Pete woman was bitten near the St. Pete Pier in late July. One other shark bite was reported in the Gulf of Mexico last year.
Historical data dating back to 1882 shows Volusia County has recorded the most unprovoked shark attacks with 351 in that time. The county with the next-highest shark bites is Brevard with 158.
Only 26 of 67 counties in the Sunshine State have recorded shark bites from unprovoked attacks. Here in the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee counties have all reported at least one bite in that time frame. Pinellas, with 15 recorded attacks, leads the Bay Area.
Which shark bites are most deadly?
Researchers with ISAF say most unprovoked shark attacks are "test bites" that happen when a shark mistakes a human as their preferred prey. Usually, the shark swims away after that single bite.
However, for some shark species — such as white sharks and tiger sharks — one bite is enough to be fatal due to the sharks' size.
Typically, the shark species documented to have fatal bites include white, tiger and bull sharks.
Coincidentally, February 2024 marks 50 years since the book "Jaws" was released. Within the decades since the book's release, the number of recorded white shark bites has increased. However, this doesn't mean the sharks are increasingly aggressive.
"This pattern isn’t due to increased aggression from white sharks, but rather a combination of more people being in the ocean each year and a stronger emphasis placed on reporting bites and fatalities," researchers said in a release.