If you’ve been planning a beach getaway, you might think twice before taking a dip in any of these locations.
A new map reveals the world’s shark bite hotspots, where the most people have been injured in unprovoked attacks.
The International Shark Attack File, maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History, shows that Florida is once again the most dangerous place to go for a swim.
Of the 28 unprovoked shark attacks that took place in the US during the year, half occurred off the coast of the Sunshine State.
But it was Volusia County, Florida that claimed the dubious title of shark attack capital of the world with eight recorded attacks last year.
The US was also the site of one of the year’s four fatal attacks after Tamayo Perry, a 49-year-old lifeguard, surfer and actor, was killed by an unknown shark in Oahu, Hawaii.
Australia followed closely behind with nine unprovoked attacks in 2024, with Western Australia and Queensland seeing the most bites.
However, the study shows that 2024 was a quiet year for shark activity with just 47 attacks – down 22 from 2023 and well below the 10-year average.
Hawaii was the site of the United States’ only fatal unprovoked shark attack this year after Tamayo Perry (right), a 49-year-old lifeguard, surfer and actor, was killed by an unknown shark in Oahu, Hawaii. Pictured: Tamayo Perry with his wife Emilia (right)
The International Shark Attack File records the number of unprovoked shark attacks which take place each year.
This means cases where sharks have been provoked or contacted by humans, such as in spearfishing or releasing sharks from nets, aren’t counted.
As has been the case in previous years, this data shows that the majority of shark attacks are clustered in just a few places and carried out by a handful of species.
The US has consistently had the highest number of unprovoked bites of any country in the world, and 2024 was no exception.
Both Texas and Hawaii had four unprovoked attacks during the year, while California had three.
In Texas, those incidents were clustered around the South Padre Islands, where several attacks happened in the same vicinity on the same day.
Additionally, North and South Carolina had one and two attacks, respectively.
But it was Florida which once again had the highest number of shark attacks during the year, with 14 incidents over 12 months.
The shark bite capital of the world is Volusia County, Florida, where there were eight unprovoked attacks in 2024. One of the county’s beaches, Daytona Beach (pictured), has the world’s highest concentration of shark attacks
Florida gets so many shark attacks because its coast is used as a breeding ground by blacktip sharks (pictured). Since juveniles struggle to distinguish humans from prey, unprovoked attacks are more common
Of those bites, eight were located in the ‘shark bite capital of the world’ Volusia County, a region of Florida between the St Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean.
While the species was not always recorded, the majority of these attacks were likely from blacktip sharks which have their breeding grounds along the northeast coast of Florida.
These 2-metre-long sharks prefer warm coastal waters and often come into close contact with humans scavenging near fishing boats and swimming into bays in search of fish.
Younger sharks in particular are often found near humans since they are left in shallow, coastal nurseries to mature.
Volusia County’s exceptionally high levels of shark attacks could be due to the fact that juvenile sharks struggle to distinguish humans from their prey.
Florida is also home to other dangerous species, including bull sharks and tiger sharks.
In June, a spate of attacks in the Florida Panhandle took place within four miles of each other, injuring three people.
A woman swimming on Watersound Beach, South Walton was bitten by a bull shark and had to be carried ashore for medical treatment.
Florida was also the site of a shocking incident in which three individuals were attacked in quick succession. A 45-year-old woman was bitten by a shark in the water near Watersound Beach, South Walton, and had to be evacuated by air (pictured)
Less than two hours later, a shark bit two teenagers wading in the shallows of nearby Seacrest Beach.
These attacks were particularly unusual because bull sharks and tiger sharks rarely come into shallow waters.
Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, says: ‘You’ll see 20 to 30 of them patrolling the coast about 500 feet offshore, where they mind their own business.’
However, during the time of the attack, dune lakes which dump freshwater into the sea were blocked.
This may have allowed fish to come closer to the coast, drawing the larger sharks in after them.
Australia maintained its position as the second most common place for shark attacks, with nine unprovoked attacks.
Of the 13 shark species that have been known to bite humans, all of them have distributions in Australia’s waters.
These include especially dangerous bull sharks and white sharks, which have overlapping populations along the southwest and southeast coast.
Australia is home to all 13 species of sharks known to attack humans, including great white sharks (pictured), which cause particularly deadly injuries. This has led to the country having an especially high fatality rate
In July last year, surfer Kai McKenzie had his leg severed when he was bitten by a shark at the isolated North Shore Beach near Port Macquarie, on the coast of New South Wales, Australia.
Even a minor bite from one of these species can be life-threatening, contributing to the country’s unusually high fatality rate.
However, there were no fatalities due to an unprovoked attack during 2024.
Additionally, the populations of white and bull sharks along the Australian coast are now down to only a few hundred adults – well below their historical size.
Ten other countries also had single attacks, including Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, the Maldives, Thailand, Western Sahara, India, Mozambique, Turks and Caicos, and French Polynesia.
The highly unusual attack off the coast of Western Sahara was the first ever recorded in this region and occurred in international waters.
A German tourist on a British catamaran travelling to the Caiman Islands was swimming alongside the boat when she was attacked.
Since the incident was so far from shore, it took several hours for emergency crews to reach the scene, and the woman died of her injuries during the return trip.
In another rare incident, India’s only unprovoked shark attack in 2024 happened in a freshwater river.
In a very rare incident, a man was bitten by a bull shark in western India while wading across the Vaitarna River. Unlike most shark species, bull sharks (pictured) can tolerate fresh water and have been known to swim hundreds of miles upstream from the coast
A man was wading through the Vaitarna River in western India when he was bitten by a medium-sized bull shark.
Unlike most other shark species, bull sharks are tolerant of fresh water and have been known to swim hundreds of miles upstream from the sea.
Globally, this study suggests that surfing likely puts you at a significantly higher risk of an unprovoked attack.
Around the world, 34 per cent of all unprovoked attacks occurred while the victim was surfing.
Sharks are excellent at spotting objects at a distance but their eyesight isn’t good enough to accurately distinguish between different shapes.
This means that sharks frequently mistake the silhouette of a surfer on their board for a prey animal such as a seal, turtle, or large fish.
Mr Miguez says: ‘People surf where there are good waves, and where there are good waves, there’s turbidity, and where there’s turbidity, there are often bait fish that attract sharks.
‘The turbidity also reduces visibility in the water, making it harder for sharks to see. Some of them make mistakes.’
During 2024, a third of all unprovoked attacks targeted surfers since their boards can be mistaken for prey. Pictured: Dale Kittow, 37, who narrowly escaped the jaws of a shark in Western Australia in January 2025
Overall, the chances of being bitten by a shark while swimming or surfing remain extremely low, with only four deaths due to unprovoked attacks across the entire globe.
Drowning remains a much bigger concern for anyone getting in the water, as the WHO estimates this is the third leading cause of accidental death.
However, there are still measures you can take to reduce your chances of encountering a shark.
For swimmers, the Florida Museum of Natural History recommends staying in groups and not swimming too far out from shore by yourself.
Additionally, you should also avoid sharks’ natural hunting periods which include the twilight hours and following rough weather when the water is murky.
Likewise, simply avoiding the water when sharks have been sighted is the best way to ensure you don’t come into conflict with these predators.
