Florida Waters
Florida’s beautiful beaches and warm weather entice both tourists and residents into taking a dip in the ocean, where marine life like sharks live.
The Sunshine State continues to lead the nation in shark attacks, with at least half of the unprovoked bites occurring in Volusia County.
The Florida Museum of History’s International Shark Attack Filereports
Florida had the most unprovoked bites than any other state in the U.S. in 2023.
This year, there have already been at least 5 confirmed shark attacks in Volusia County.
Gavin Naylor is the director of the Florida program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of History.
He says warmer water, among other things, could be playing a role, but in the way that you might not think.
“There's not too many people that go swimming when the water is freezing. So the warmer water brings more people into the environment. That said, some sharks are a little bit more active in the summer than they would be in other months in the year. But it's mostly the people that are affected by the warm weather,” said Naylor.
According to the International Shark Attack File, Blacktip sharks make up the majority of sharks swimming off the coast of Volusia County.
Naylor said Blacktip sharks are responsible for the majority of bites.
“These are bites on people's ankles and their arms when they're surfing,” he said. “These are sharks that target other fishes like Mullet Menhaden. They’re numbers haven't really changed too much over the last 20 or 30 years.”
Other populations that have been fairly unchanged include Tiger sharks, according to Naylor.
“They're large animals, they're fairly curious, and when you get bitten by a tiger shark, it's usually a lot more serious. They can remove limbs,” he said.
In addition, there are Bull sharks swimming off Florida’s coast, but Naylor said their numbers are unknown, as researchers are due to assess the population.
“When a bull shark bites you, they are fairly tenacious and very strong. They have big jaws and are very powerful,” he said. “They're one of the few sharks that if they bite you once, they may follow you and bite you another time. So that can be a challenge.”
Safety
According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 19 millionpeople visit Florida beaches every year, but Naylor said there’s only between 10,000 and 100,000 sharks swimming off Florida’s coast.
“If sharks really were targeting people, we'd have thousands of shark bites every day. We really don't. We get between about 15 and 20 per year,” he said. “So sharks are actually trying to avoid people.”
To help avoid interactions with sharks, Naylor has a few tips for beachgoers before they enter the water. He said don’t swim where there are signs sharks could be hunting.
“For example, when we see bait fish jumping out of the water, it's because something's chasing them,” he said. “So don't go swimming, where you see bait fish jumping out the water, it may be a shark or it may be a tarpon or some other predatory fish.”
Naylor also suggests avoiding swimming where fishermen have a hook and line out for bony fish.
He said when bony fish get caught in a line, they send out frequency vibrations that sharks can detect from hundreds of yards away.
“They sense it and they’ll come swimming around where they feel these vibrations of the struggling fishes,” said Naylor. “But if you happen to be swimming there, and they're all jumbled up and hungry, then you increase the probability that a shark is going to mistake you for a bony fish.”
Naylor also suggests avoiding wearing shiny jewelry, as sharks can mistake you for a fish, like a menhaden or mullet.
Reporting
If you or someone you know is bitten by a shark, Naylor said the first thing to do is tend to the victim and stop the bleeding.
Once emergency services are rendered and the victim has been taken care of, then you can report the attack to the International Shark Attack File.
After downloading and filling a document with the conditions and narrative of what happened, that’s when Naylor and his team get to work.
“We will assign that a number, enter into the file, research and follow up. Then we look at the bite wounds, we try to understand which species are responsible,” he said.
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