Shark attacks decrease in Volusia waters
Volusia County's seven shark bites last year were the fifth-lowest in 22 years, and tied with 2015.
The fewer bites were part of an overall drop worldwide last year in bites and fatal shark attacks, the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Florida Program for Shark Research stated Monday in its annual report.
A total of 57 unprovoked bites were reported around the world, 41 of those in the United States, according to the research program's International Shark Attack File. That's down from 73 and 47 in 2021.
Florida, with its 825 miles of sandy beaches, led the world with 16 unprovoked bites, according to the report. More bites were reported in Volusia County than any other.
Gavin Naylor, shark research program director, attributed the fewer bites to two things.
“Generally speaking, the number of sharks in the world’s oceans has decreased, which may have contributed to recent lulls,” Naylor said. “It’s likely that fatalities are down because some areas have recently implemented rigorous beach safety protocols, especially in Australia.”
The research program focuses on unprovoked bites rather than bites that occur when sharks are either intentionally or unintentionally provoked.
Where were shark bites reported?
In Florida, besides Volusia County’s seven bites, four bites were reported in Monroe County, and one each in Brevard, Martin, Nassau, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties.
Five bites were reported in Hawaii, four bites each in South Carolina and California, two in North Carolina and one each in Texas and Alabama.
Australia had nine shark bites.
Single bites were reported in New Zealand, Thailand and Brazil.
Two of the Florida bites resulted in injuries that required amputations, the report stated, both likely from bull sharks.
Shark bites in Volusia County
Local surfers long have laughed off the county’s unofficial reputation as shark bite capital of the world. Most have stories of times they’ve seen or brushed up against sharks. Some have scars to show for their encounters with the sharks that frequent the waters near Ponce Inlet.
Previously the shark research program and the county have suggested several reasons why the county may have more reported bites. They include:
Waves that attract surfers to the jetties on either side of Ponce Inlet. Splashing hands and feet may attract marine predators who feed on bait fish.
Sometimes murky water where the Indian and Halifax rivers meet the ocean at the inlet.
Sharks migrate through the region and the Mosquito and Indian River Lagoon systems are considered a critical nursery area for sharks and other species.
Careful recordkeeping by the county’s professional lifeguards, who track shark bites, rip current rescues and deaths and other incidents
Most local shark bites are blamed on blacktip, spinner and sandbar sharks.
Fatal shark bites
Only five fatal shark attacks were reported worldwide in 2022, down from nine in 2021 and 10 in 2020. The U.S. had one unprovoked fatality in Hawaii, according to the report.
Two fatal attacks occurred on the same day in Egypt’s Red Sea and two fatal attacks took place in South Africa, according to the shark research program.
When was Volusia County’s last shark fatality?
It’s been 42 years since the county’s last fatal shark attack.
In August 1981, a 17-foot catamaran capsized in suddenly stormy seas about three miles off Ormond Beach. The two young couples aboard clung to the boat all night, then tried to swim to shore at dawn.
As the group began to swim, the others heard Christi Wapniarski, 19, screaming she’d been bitten, the United Press International reported. “Swim to me. I think I’m going to die!”
By the time her boyfriend and another of the survivors reached her, they said she was injured and had no pulse and wasn’t breathing, according to media reports.
Seven fatal shark attacks have been reported in Florida since then, the most recent in 2010.
How to reduce your risk
The chance of being bitten by a shark “remain incredibly low,” according to the Shark Attack File. Certain measures can reduce a swimmer's risk:
Remove reflective jewelry
Avoid areas where people are fishing
Leave the water if you see abundant bait fish
Swim close to shore and in groups
Swim in front of a lifeguard
Don’t swim in dim light or darkness
Volusia County's seven bites in 2022
Learn more about sharks in Volusia and Flagler counties
Bull shark nursery in Indian River Lagoon system
Blacktip sharks off Volusia County coast
Florida Program for Shark Research identifies Flagler bite 24 years later
Closer look at what may attract the sharks
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia County shark bites down
