FL Saw More Shark Attacks In 2023 Than Anywhere In The World: ISAF

FLORIDA — There were 69 unprovoked shark bites on humans — an increase over the 57 reported in 2022 — and 22 provoked bites worldwide last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. Ten of these unprovoked attacks were fatal.

This is still within the normal range, as there have been 63 incidents reported on average each year over the past five years, the museum’s data shows.

And, once again, Florida topped the global chart for unprovoked attacks with 16 in 2023, the same number of bites as 2022.

• Also Read: FL Woman Bitten By Shark In Tampa Bay Near St. Pete Pier

While lower than the Sunshine State’s five-year annual average of 19 incidents, this still represented 44 percent of the U.S. total number of unprovoked attacks and 23 percent of all such attacks worldwide, ISAF said.

There were 16 attacks reported in Florida, two of them fatal. Hawaii recorded eight bites, one of which was fatal in 2023, and there were two unprovoked bites in California, one of which was fatal.

In Florida, Volusia County had the most shark bites — eight — representing half of the state’s total. Of the eight remaining bites, two were in Brevard County, two in St. Lucie County and one each in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Escambia and Pinellas counties.

Unprovoked bites are those that happen in the shark’s natural habitat with no human provocation, while provoked bites happen when a human initiates an interaction with a shark, from divers trying to touch sharks to people trying to feed them to bites that occur while unhooking or removing a shark from a fishing net.

Most unprovoked attacks are associated with board sports. Surfers and others participating in board sports accounted for 42 percent of the incidents last year, according to ISAF.

Meanwhile, swimmers and waders accounted for 39 percent of unprovoked attacks and snorkelers and free divers accounted for 13 percent.