Just when you thought it was safe to go back into US waters.
A recent survey by tide forecasting site Tideschart found that the Home Of The Brave leads the world when it comes to shark attacks, boasting nearly twice as many as runner-up Australia — and over four times as many as third-place holder South Africa.
In fact, these three countries dominated the rankings, accounting for more than “half of all recorded shark attacks in history,” per the site.
“When you look at the numbers, three places dominate every list – Florida in the U.S., New South Wales in Australia and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa,” said Tideschart founder Ryan Blundell. “Each has warm, productive waters, consistent surf and lots of people in the ocean. That combination naturally leads to more encounters.”
The digital surf seer compiled the Jaws-dropping list by examining data from the Shark Research Institute from 1642 to 2024, and then “consolidating thousands of verified incidents to map out the world’s sharkiest waters.”
Despite the alarming numbers, the likelihood of a shark attack remains very low, with bite numbers steadily declining across the globe. In 2024, there were only 47 unprovoked incidents worldwide, marking a nearly 30-year low for negative shark-human interactions.
“Shark attacks are still incredibly rare compared to the millions of swimmers who enter the sea every year,” said Blundell.
The US
The US topped the charts with a staggering 2,473 recorded attacks since 1624. Florida comprised the lion’s share of bites with 1,151, followed by Hawaii (328) and California (316).
The Sunshine State has been a veritable Sharknado when it comes to attacks from these toothy predators, boasting 9 out of the 10 beaches with the most shark attacks in the US, per another survey conducted over the summer by Tideschart. New Smyrna Beach, Florida, was the sharkiest with 277 attacks since 1642, hence its moniker “the shark bite capital of the world.”
“The concentration of shark attacks along Florida’s coastline is striking, with New Smyrna Beach in particular standing out as a global hotspot for shark encounters,” said Blundell.
In 2001, 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast nearly died after having his arm bitten off by a bull shark while swimming in the surf off Pensacola, Florida. The youngster was rescued by his uncle, who dragged the 7.4-ft, 200-pound predator up onto the shore.
Perhaps the US’s most notorious shark-related encounter occurred closer to home in 1916, when, in the span of less than two weeks, a series of brutal shark attacks off New Jersey killed four swimmers and left one injured.
The incident made waves across the world and laid the groundwork for Stephen Spielberg’s 1975 classic “Jaws.”
Australia
Australia placed second on the shark attack countdown, boasting 1,453 recorded attacks since we started committing them to record. The sharkiest spot Down Under was New South Wales with 1,453 close encounters of the fin kind.
On Thursday, a shark killed a woman and seriously wounded a man taking an early morning swim at Crowdy Bay National Park.
The species of shark is yet unclear.
South Africa
Great white ground zero South Africa trailed close behind with 593 attacks — over a third of which occurred in the nation’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
The region is infamous for a series of nine attacks (six of which were fatal) between December 18th, 1957 and April 5th, 1958 — a period that has officially been dubbed “Black December.” At least one of the attacks was by a great white.
The rash of incidents has been attributed to an increase in blood in the water left behind by whaling ships that were stationed in the area.
The World’s Top Ten Shark Attack Hotspots
- The US (2,473)
- Australia (1,453)
- South Africa (593)
- New Zealand (143)
- Papua New Guinea (136)
- Bahamas (129)
- Brazil (119)
- Mexico (98)
- Italy (72)
- Fiji (69)
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