Be cautious of areas known for shark attacks

November 28, 2025

Just when you thought it was safe to head back into U.S. waters.

A recent study from Tideschart, which specializes in tidal forecasts, reveals that the United States leads the globe in shark attacks. It has nearly double the incidents compared to second-place Australia, and over four times as many as South Africa, which is in third place.

Surprisingly, these three countries together account for more than half of all recorded shark attacks throughout history, according to the site.

“When looking at the statistics, three areas consistently appear at the top: Florida in the U.S., New South Wales in Australia, and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa,” said Ryan Blundell, the founder of Tideschart. “These locations feature warm oceans, stable wave conditions, and attract many people to the water, inevitably leading to more encounters with sharks.”

The Jaws Drop List was created after analyzing data from the Shark Research Institute spanning from 1642 to 2024, combining thousands of confirmed incidents to illustrate the world’s most shark-populated waters.

Despite these alarming statistics, encountering a shark remains a rare event. In fact, the total number of bites is on the decline worldwide. For 2024, only 47 unprovoked incidents are anticipated globally—the lowest figure for shark-human encounters in nearly three decades.

“Shark attacks are incredibly uncommon when compared to the millions of people who swim in the ocean every year,” Blundell noted.

US

Leading the statistics, the United States has recorded a remarkable 2,473 shark attacks since 1624. Florida boasts the highest number at 1,151, followed by Hawaii with 328 and California with 316.

The Sunshine State has turned into a hotspot for shark encounters, with nine of the ten most frequently attacked beaches located there, according to a related analysis by Tideschart conducted over the summer. New Smyrna Beach has gained the notorious title of “Shark Bite Capital of the World,” amassing 277 attacks since 1642.

“The high rate of shark attacks along Florida’s coast is noteworthy, especially with New Smyrna Beach being recognized as a global hub for these encounters,” Blundell emphasized.

In 2001, an 8-year-old boy, Jesse Arbogast, survived a near-fatal shark attack while swimming near Pensacola, Florida, where a bull shark bit off his arm. His uncle heroically dragged both Jesse and the 200-pound predator to shore.

One of the most infamous shark incidents in U.S. history occurred in 1916, when four swimmers were killed and one was injured in a series of attacks along the New Jersey coast within just two weeks, shaping the narrative for Steven Spielberg’s iconic film, Jaws.

Australia

Australia comes in second on the shark attack list, with 1,453 incidents recorded since the beginning of documentation. The riskiest spot is in New South Wales, where encounters with sharks are frequent.

Recently, a woman was killed and a man seriously injured by a shark while swimming early in the morning at Cloudy Bay National Park, though the species responsible remains unidentified.

South Africa

South Africa follows closely behind with 593 recorded attacks, over a third of which took place in KwaZulu-Natal, a region infamous for its high number of shark incidents.

This area is remembered for the “Black December” period, which witnessed nine attacks, six of them fatal, between December 1957 and April 1958, with at least one attributed to a great white shark. The rise in incidents is thought to correlate with increased blood in the water from local whalers.