Florida’s semi-tropical climate, beautiful beaches, and clear water are heaven to many people. Though millions flock to Florida yearly to take advantage of the warm air and water, they aren’t the only ones loving the climate. Florida is the shark attack capital of the United States. Let’s find out which beaches our toothy friends frequented the most and which types of sharks are responsible for the most unprovoked attacks.
Is Florida the Shark Attack Capital of the World?
In 2024, a record number of shark attacks occurred, with Volusia County leading in unprovoked attacks. From 1882 – 2023, Volusia County had double the number of attacks as surrounding counties, with 351 occurring. In 2023, 16 unprovoked attacks occurred, eight of which happened in Volusia County. This is actually lower than the annual average for shark attacks in Florida, which is 19.
Volusia County is home to the highly popular New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach in South Florida. In July of 2024, three nonfatal unprovoked attacks happened in one week. In Walton County, two teenagers and a woman were injured. The woman’s injuries were severe. She lost the lower portion of her arm and had other bad injuries all over her body. One of the teenagers lost her hand and had a leg amputated.
How Can So Many Shark Attacks Happen in Shallow Water?
Humans flock to these beautiful beaches and sit back as their children play in the waves. They might need to think twice about that because large sharks can swim in as little as one foot of water. For the average person, one to two feet falls somewhere on their shins. On children, it can mean their lower body is submerged, which allows sharks to inflict serious injuries.
Sharks are also fast when they want to be and can ram you before you even know what happened. Of course, this is incredibly uncommon. Given the amount of people in the water at these Florida beaches, it’s no surprise that attacks happen. However, we are talking about millions of people in the water yearly. Sixteen doesn’t seem that bad when you look at the numbers. None of these attacks were fatal, though losing an arm, hand, or leg is certainly bad enough to keep you out of the water.
What Types of Sharks are Most Common in Florida Waters?
Whether it be migrating sharks or resident sharks, Florida’s coast is filled with diverse sharks. Some are little and hidden, like the carpet sharks. Others are 15 to 20 feet long and 2,000 pounds. Florida is unique because it shares the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico on separate coasts. This may not mean much to the average beachgoer, but the large community of sharks from both oceans creates an unusual mixture. Let’s look at the most common sharks and which are the most likely to bite a swimmer accidentally (or not so accidentally).
Bull Shark
Bull sharks are possibly the most dangerous sharks in the world. That might be hard to swallow since JAWS was a great white. Great white sharks have been villainized for centuries. Surprisingly, they also have been caught just hanging out near people kayaking or surfing. The surfers, in particular, have taken notice of these juvenile great whites swimming along the waves with them, appearing to surf, too. However, you do not want to surf with adult bull sharks.
Bull sharks are also called Zambezi sharks by locals near the Zambezi River in Africa. They can filter out fresh water as they swim up brackish rivers, sometimes by hundreds of miles. Bull sharks have also been found in the Mississippi River and all along the bayou and swamps of Louisiana.
In particular, Lake Pontchartrain is an estuary of bull sharks. Though it is a popular lake for kayaking, paddle-boarding, fishing, and swimming, no serious attacks have ever been recorded. It’s safe to say that the young bull sharks are more wary of us than we are of them. They seem to be harmless until they become adults. They are so dangerous because of their elevated testosterone and territorial behavior. They bite first, ask questions later, and are responsible for Florida’s most significant number of attacks.
Tiger Shark
Tiger sharks are among the most dangerous sharks in the ocean and are responsible for a large number of fatalities worldwide. They are related to bull sharks and share their elevated testosterone and territorial instincts. Tiger sharks are one of the biggest contenders on the Florida coast, measuring around 15 -18 feet long. They frequent deeper, cooler water but are no strangers to swimming along with the tide. Still, they are rarely seen.
Nurse Shark
Nurse sharks are docile, social sharks that enjoy spending some nap time in a pile of other nurse sharks. There’s safety in numbers, and nurse sharks are low on the shark food chain and are sometimes eaten by larger sharks. Nurse sharks have been recorded recognizing and befriending humans. Many of the tourist traps offer a chance to swim with sharks. These sharks are typically what you’ll see. They have very small, downward-facing mouths that cannot take a big bite out of a human. They have been known to bite a toe or foot when stepped on.
Sandbar Shark
Sandbar sharks are the most commonly seen sharks in the Florida waters. They hang out on the sandbars in shallow water, snacking on the crustaceans and small fish the tide brings. They can become frenzied when swimming near fishing ships, chummed waters, or where there is fish blood in the water. Like the black-tipped sharks, they love a fish dinner, so stay out of the way. Since they reside on sandbars that get churned up with the waves, they spend a lot of time in hazy sand-filled water with poor visibility, so mistakes can happen.
Lemon Shark
Lemon sharks love the warm, shallow waters surrounding Florida. These medium-sized sharks are docile but reach 11 feet long and 220 pounds, which is undoubtedly intimidating. Lemon sharks prefer to stay in one main area to hunt, sleep, and socialize with their lemon shark friends and family. They blend perfectly with the sandy sea bottom and might bite if stepped on. Even with them being docile, it’s best to leave wildlife alone and only admire from a distance.
Hammerhead Shark
Hammerhead sharks are among the strangest-looking sharks in the ocean. Their eyes can see a wider range than other sharks, giving them a kind of superpower. These huge 20-foot-long, 2,000-pound sharks can be frightening if seen surfing the tide like they enjoy on the East Coast. They are typically docile but have been recorded attacking people. They are the second most dangerous shark in Florida.
How To Safely Enjoy the Ocean
- Never swim alone. Your chance of surviving a shark attack goes up considerably when you are swimming with other people, and most sharks will not approach a group of people.
- Never swim in the ocean with glittery bathing suits, nail polish, or jewelry. These can be mistaken for fish scales.
- Do not swim at dawn or dusk. Sharks are always patrolling the waters, but fish are the most active during those times. This is when many marine animals hunt.
- Do not go into the water if you are bleeding. Though sharks aren’t fans of our flavor, they are attracted to the smell of blood, which they can smell from pretty far away.
- Use caution when swimming near sandbars or steep drop-offs. Sharks frequent those areas.
- Avoid that area if you see seabirds diving in or fish jumping out of water. The fish are trying to escape something.
- Stay alert in murky water, such as near the shore or the mouths of rivers. Low vision can confuse sharks.
- Avoid swimming near piers or where people are fishing.
