Florida waters have been the king of shark attacks for the past decade.
According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), there have been 259 shark bites in Florida since 2012.
Other states with enough recorded shark attacks to land in the list’s footnotes were Hawaii and South Carolina, with 76 and 49 attacks, respectively.
One law firm study incorporated shark bites into a report rating the most dangerous beaches in the United States.
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A great white shark swims in the waters off the coast of California. (Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Not surprisingly, the Simrin Law report found that the top 10 most dangerous beaches are all in Florida, and 24 of the top 25 are on Florida’s coast.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was the only city to make the top 25. The area saw 24 surf zone fatalities and shark attacks and 33 hurricanes, according to Fox Tampa.
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Experts took into account other hazards such as hurricanes and low tides to rank the country’s most dangerous beaches. The higher the score out of 100, the more dangerous the beach.
According to the law group, the top 10 are:
Police rescue a shark attack victim from the beach in Walton County, Florida, on June 7, 2024. (Walton County Sheriff)
A shark was photographed swimming over a sandbar during a shark watching trip with Dragonfly Sportfishing Charters off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts on August 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Phil Marcelo, File)
10. Miramar Beach, 40.63
This is the only beach among the top 10 beaches where sharks have not attacked people in 2023. Fox Tampa, Based on a law firm report.
But seven surfers died in these waters last year.
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9. Melbourne Beach, 40.9
In 2023, 19 shark attacks were recorded. According to KTSMCiting a report by Simmrin Law.
Most of the victims were surfers, according to KTSM.
8. Indialantic Beach, 41.02
Eight people were attacked by sharks at Indialantic Beach and six surfers died in rough seas.
7. Ponce Inlet, 41.54
According to KTSM, there have been 34 shark attacks in Ponce Inlet, resulting in the deaths of two surfers.
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6. Ormond Beach, 41.57
The beach was close to being ranked in the top five most dangerous beaches in the country after rip currents claimed the lives of six surfers.
According to the study, Florida, with 1,350 miles of coastline, again led the nation in bites. The percentages in these charts are approximate. (Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File)
5. Cocoa Beach, 46.35
In 2023, the waters off Cocoa Beach were infested with sharks, with 26 recorded attacks, none of which were fatal.
4. Miami Beach, 47.78
The danger in Miami Beach doesn’t have much to do with sharks or dead surfers: it always seems to be hurricane season.
A total of 126 hurricanes have occurred so far, according to KTSM.
Hurricanes make Miami Beach one of the most dangerous beaches. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The beautiful white sand and turquoise waters of Miami Beach, Florida, captured from an altitude of approximately 500 feet during a photography helicopter flight. (Credit: iStock)
3. Daytona Beach, 60.01
Taking the perhaps unwanted bronze medal was Daytona Beach, which has the second-highest number of shark attacks in the country with 141, according to KTSM.
2. Panama City Beach, 67.75
Last year, 32 surfers died off the coast of Panama City Beach, which was closed to the public on June 23 due to deadly rip currents. AL.com reported.
1. New Smyrna Beach, 76.04
Nicknamed the “shark bite capital of the world,” New Smyrna Beach had 186 recorded shark attacks in 2023 and is prone to hurricane damage due to its location along the Atlantic Ocean.
People enjoy the beach on May 29, 2021 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (Shawn Rayford/Getty Images)
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In a statement accompanying the report, Michael Simlin said that while shark attacks “attention-grabbing”, Florida’s coast was ranked so highly because of the “ever-present risk of hurricanes”.
“Hurricanes can cause dangerous rip currents and storm surges, increasing the overall risk to beachgoers,” Simlin said.
“With summer approaching and many Americans thinking about vacations, this survey shows the importance of keeping safety first when considering a trip to the beach.”
