The numbers are in and if a good ole shark bite is what you define as a favorable vacation, then Florida is the place for you! For the 2nd year in a row, Florida is the world’s top spot for unprovoked shark bites.
Unprovoked shark bites are exactly as they sound, bites from sharks that are, well, unprovoked. Meaning you didn’t try to touch one, bring one onto your boat, or anything else. They just swam by and took a bite.
Volusia County which is up north and includes Daytona Beach led the state in bites. Flagler Beach is a popular spot that typically has a lot of bites. Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported the numbers today.
"Volusia County, which includes Daytona Beach, led Florida with eight shark bites in 2020. Brevard County, which includes Cocoa Beach, had three. – Chris Perkins – Sun-Sentinel."
Australia came in second on the world list with Hawaii and California coming in two and three here in the United States. Don’t feel too afraid to go into the water, however. Florida has a lot of sharks along the shoreline and bites are still rather rare. Only three deaths in the United States was reported in 2020 as a result of bites.
In North Carolina, three bites were reported in 2020. Florida led the nation and the world in 2019.
According to the article by Perkins, 61% of the bites were to surfers and “other board” sports participants.
In September, a man was bitten on the shoulder by what was presumed to be a bull shark. The man jumped off his boat at Sombrero Reef in the Florida Keys and was pulled back onto the boat by his wife.
For more in-depth numbers, please read follow the link to Perkins’ article.