Florida Shark Attacks: Where Bright Colors and Bait Collide

The notion of sharks as fiends with a bottomless appetite for human flesh is a myth.

Sharks are usually opportunistic feeders that favor smaller prey; unless frenzied from starvation or provoked by an unwise person, they have no interest in tussling with a human.

Sharks normally stay out beyond where human beings swim, although certain conditions — such as seasonal feeding, spawning behavior or the steep drop-offs that some species use for hunting — can bring humans and sharks into closer proximity.

But before you cancel your beach day, take a deep breath. The actual risk of death or serious injury from a shark remains incredibly low. Most bites are minor, and unprovoked fatalities are rare.

Still, it’s fascinating (and a little chilling) to explore how and where these shark encounters happen, as well as what draws sharks close to shore.

Volusia County, on Florida's northeast coast, consistently reports the most shark bites each year. New Smyrna Beach is particularly notorious, due to its active surfing community and dense bait fish populations.

Surfers accounted for many of the reported bites, as they often paddle in areas where sharks frequently feed. When fish scales glint in the sunlight or humans splash near steep drop-offs, a curious shark might investigate.

Turns out, sharks love Florida for some of the same reasons as humans do: lots of shoreline and relatively warm waters.

In the U.S., which led the world in shark bites in 2024, 14 of the bites were in Florida. Hawaii and Texas had four each, and California had three. The three remaining shark bites were in North and South Carolina.

To give some context: The worldwide numbers in 2024 were way down from previous years. The 47 unprovoked bites that year were 22 less than in 2023 and below the 10-year average of 70 [source: Florida Museum of Natural History].

Even areas like South Walton on the Florida Panhandle aren’t immune. Three unprovoked attacks were logged in one day in 2024: First, a severe bite suffered by a woman swimming near Watersound Beach, then two teens were bitten at nearby Seacrest Beach [source: Jacksonville.com].

Due to quick encounters, murky visibility and the fact that most shark attacks are moments of extreme stress for the victim, many shark bites are listed as "unknown shark species."

But researchers at The Florida Museum of Natural History believe that blacktip sharks are the likeliest candidates for the majority of Florida's 14 bites in 2024.

Coastal Florida also has bull sharks and tiger sharks, both species known to have bitten humans. Bull sharks, which tolerate both salt and fresh water, are known for swimming close to shore and into rivers. Tiger sharks, though more elusive, are powerful predators with wide-ranging diets.

Why do unprovoked shark bites happen? It usually boils down to mistaken identity.

Sharks respond to movement, scent, and contrast — making shiny jewelry, brightly colored clothing and even fish activity risky. Divers and swimmers wearing flashy accessories might catch a shark’s attention, especially in warm waters teeming with bait.

Some researchers are even studying if menstruating can affect a shark's ability to detect blood, though so far there's no solid evidence of this being a factor [source: FMNH].

Other environmental triggers include the presence of diving seabirds, rip tides stirring up food sources and steep drop-offs these predators use for surprise attacks. South Padre Island bites and bites in North and South Carolina offer similar behavioral patterns and reinforce what we see in Florida.

In one dramatic event, a German tourist sailing off the coast of west Africa died from injuries sustained from a shark attack deep in international waters.

Some claim there have been cases of dolphins saving humans from sharks, but that’s still debated in shark research circles.

Reports also highlight teenagers wading or swimmers bitten near schools of bait fish. In almost all cases, sharks were not actively hunting humans.

Here are a few things you can do to reduce your risk:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and shark researchers, most shark bites are quick, exploratory and non-lethal. Even in places with the most shark bites, like Florida’s northern coast, serious injuries are rare.

Remember, sharks are more interested in their natural prey than they are in you.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.