When you think about the scariest situations a human could be in, a shark attack has to be near the top. Having a 3,000 pound beast sink its razor-sharp teeth into you sounds like a nightmare. Luckily for us, the total number of attacks and bites in the US is extremely low, given the number of people in the water every year. Advances in beach safety such as drones that fly high above the shores scanning for sharks, quick medical care and public awareness help bring down fatal shark attack numbers continually every year. Taking a look at this great graphic from SI Yachts you can easily see where the most shark attacks occur in the US and how frequent they actually are.
Overwhelmingly, Florida has the most number of attacks in the country with 236 incidents across 12 different counties from 2011-2020. Although not a single one of those attacks ended up being fatal. In fact, as this chart also points out, you have a higher chance of dying from a fall out of bed than a shark attack.
The next state with the highest number of shark attacks after Florida is Hawaii. Out of 73 shark attacks between 2011 and 2020 three of those ended up being fatal. The most recent was December 8th 2020 and all three fatal attacks occurred on the island of Maui.
The third state with the highest level of shark attacks is South Carolina with 43 attacks across 5 different counties. On average, 40 people a year are attacked by sharks in the US and on average one of those attacks will end fatally. This chart also points out that 58 people are killed by bees and wasps per year, far more than any shark attack.
Leave a Reply