Summer, for many people, means taking numerous trips to the beach.
Then again, humans aren’t the only visitors at popular beaches each summer. Numerous species of sharks also frequent some beaches’ shallow waters that are warmer in the summer.
Indeed, almost right on cue, sharks have already been spotted at beaches they are known to visit. For instance, two men were bitten by sharks in separate incidents in Key West, Florida, last month.
Then, farther north, a group of whale watchers in Cape Cod unexpectedly saw a large great white shark attack a gray seal. That sighting, in turn, prompted staff at Cape Cod National Seashore to, as they do each year, caution visitors to “Be Shark Smart.”
If you love visiting the beach but worry, or are just curious, about shark attacks, here’s what you need to know to stay safe.
Where Unprovoked Shark Attacks Occur
Interestingly, the number of unprovoked shark attacks around the world decreased in 2022 and actually tied 2020 as the 2 years with the fewest number of reported incidents over the past 10, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF).
Since 2013, there has been an average of 74 unprovoked shark bites per year. In 2022, however, there were 57 unprovoked bites. Of those attacks, five were fatal, which is down from nine fatal attacks in 2021 and 10 fatal attacks in 2020, according to the ISAF.
As in previous years, the U.S. had the highest number of shark bites, and Florida again had more reported bites than anywhere else on Earth — retaining its unofficial title as “Shark Bite Capital of the World.” What’s more, most of those shark attacks each year occur in Volusia County, which includes Daytona Beach, according to the ISAF.
The Possibility Of A Shark Attack
If there were only 57 unprovoked shark bites around the world last year, and there are 74 unprovoked shark attacks on average each year, the question that naturally comes up is this: Just how rare is a shark attack?
“When you look at the aggregated data, it is quickly apparent that the chances of being attacked by a shark are nearly zero,” David Angotti, founder of FloridaPanhandle.com, told TravelAwaits in a statement. “For people who live in the United States, you are approximately 50 times more likely to die by a lightning strike and 10 times more likely to die by a fireworks accident compared to a shark attack.”
How To Prevent Shark Attacks
There may only be a marginal chance of being bitten by a shark, but there are several steps you can take to further decrease those odds.
The ISAF lists a number of suggestions to reduce the probability of being bitten by a shark, including to avoid splashing in open water because sharks may mistake that activity for a struggling fish. Other tips to avoid the risk of being bitten by a shark are to stay in groups, stay close to shore, don’t swim around schools of fish or where people are fishing, and avoid swimming at dusk or dawn.
You can find more tips for being safe and decreasing the chances of being bitten by a shark at ISAF’s Advice to Swimmers.
What To Do If You Are Attacked By A Shark
In the extremely unlikely event you are attacked by a shark, here are FloridaPanhandle.com’s tips for surviving the attack.
“First, you will want to maintain eye contact with the shark and use a hard object or your hands to jab the shark’s nose, gills, and eyes,” according to FloridaPanhandle.com’s Interactive Shark Attack Map, Statistics, and Survival Guides. “Be sure to position yourself in a manner to minimize a bite to the neck or face.”
Next, get out of the water as soon as possible without turning your back on the shark.
“Sharks can swim at over 30 miles per hour, compared to Michael Phelps swimming speed of 4.7 miles per hour, and you won’t outswim them,” FloridaPanhandle.com continues.
Then, once you are out of the water, apply pressure to any shark bites to stop the bleeding and seek medical attention, FloridaPanhandle.com concludes.
For more about sharks, be sure to read our Wildlife and Travel News content, including:
