Despite Florida shark attacks making headlines, UNF professor says bites are rare
Florida has long been the world capital for shark attacks, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. In 2023, Florida’s 16 cases represented 44% of the total shark attacks in the U.S. and 23% of unprovoked bites worldwide.
Multiple shark attacks made national headlines this summer after three people were bitten by sharks and sustained serious injuries in two different attacks in the Florida panhandle and a man was bitten with non-life-threatening injuries at New Smyrna Beach over the Independence Day weekend.
Dr. Jim Gelsleichter, UNF Coastal and Marine Biology Flagship Program director and global shark endocrinology expert, explains that although every shark bite is alarming, bites are still relatively rare.
“Increased amounts of visitors to the beaches in the summer months, combined with shark populations being at seasonal highs and sharks swimming closer to the shores to chase bait fish, can result in more shark attacks than in winter months but bites typically aren’t fatal,” said Gelsleichter.
None of the 16 Florida shark attacks recorded in 2023 were fatal.
The black tip and spinner sharks most common off Northeast Florida’s coast are not hungry for human blood, according to Gelsleichter. They typically “bite and spit” and swim away. These bites can hurt and cause harm but are rarely life threatening.
Occasionally bull sharks, a larger species, move in towards shore. These sharks take a larger bite and sometimes come back for more. Bull sharks were spotted in the panhandle area where the three serious injuries took place last month and are believed to have caused the attacks. These sharks can cause major, life-threatening injuries.
Gelsleichter shared these tips for staying safe from sharks and enjoying the beach this summer: stay vigilant and aware, avoid swimming at dusk or dawn during peak shark feeding times, never swim alone, stay away from areas where people are fishing and always exercise caution while in the ocean.