Florida named the shark attack capital of the world, again

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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The Sunshine State is known for a lot of things, but it should come as no surprise that it’s been recognized as the shark attack capital of the world for 2023 once again.

The Florida Museum shared an International Shark Attack File, confirming that Florida had the most unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S. in 2023, with 16. Volusia County was a specific hot spot for these attacks, accounting for 50% of those attacks.

READ: Florida had highest number of unprovoked shark attacks on Earth in 2022

According to the report, Florida’s 16 cases represent 44% of the U.S. total and 23% of unprovoked bites across the world. The number is lower, however, than Florida’s most recent five-year annual average of 19 incidents. 

Pinellas County also accounted for two of the state’s shark bites. The report found that surfers and those participating in board sports accounted for 42% of shark incidents. 

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Hawaii ranked as the second-biggest state for shark attacks, with eight cases. Australia saw the second most incidents in the world with 15.