Half of the cases of unprovoked shark bites happened in Volusia County. Brevard and St. Lucie counties recorded two each. Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Escambia, and Pinellas counties each reported one unprovoked shark bite.
According to the ISAF, 42% of the cases were recorded among surfers and those practicing board sports, while swimmers and waders made up 39% of the cases. Thirteen percent of the incidents were reported among snorkelers and free divers.
According to the report, there have been 351 unprovoked shark attacks in Volusia County from 1882 to 2023, which is more than double the number reported by the No. 2 county, Brevard, with 158 attacks.
| COUNTY | TOTAL |
| Volusia | 351 |
| Brevard | 158 |
| Palm Beach | 83 |
| St. Johns | 45 |
| Duval | 46 |
| Martin | 41 |
| St. Lucie | 39 |
| Indian River | 22 |
| Monroe | 21 |
| Miami-Dade | 20 |
| Broward | 16 |
| Pinellas | 15 |
| Bay | 9 |
| Collier | 8 |
| Lee | 8 |
| Sarasota | 7 |
| Flagler | 6 |
| Escambia | 7 |
| Nassau | 8 |
| Okaloosa | 4 |
| Manatee | 5 |
| Gulf | 2 |
| Franklin | 2 |
| Walton | 1 |
| Charlotte | 1 |
| Santa Rosa | 1 |
In 2023, half of the 16 unprovoked shark attacks reported in Florida occurred in Volusia County. Three people were bitten by sharks off Volusia County shores in five days. One man was bitten at New Smyrna Beach on July 4, another the next day in the same area, and a 14-year-old was bitten a few miles away in Ponce Inlet on Monday morning, according to Volusia County Beach Safety officials.
In addition, two teenagers and a woman were injured in two shark attacks less than two hours apart in Walton County in the Florida Panhandle. The woman lost her lower left arm and suffered “significant trauma” to other areas of her body, and one of the teens lost her hand, with her right leg having to be amputated.
Furthermore, a man was critically injured with a severe bite to his right arm near Fernandina Beach in Nassau County.
Florida has consistently topped global charts for the number of shark bites, and 2023 was no exception. Florida’s 16 cases represent 44% of the U.S. total and 23% of unprovoked bites worldwide. This is lower than Florida’s most recent five-year annual average of 19 incidents.
The Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville maintains the International Shark Attack File.
Fatal Bull Shark Attacks in Florida’s Recorded History
According to records in the International Shark Attack File, there have been five fatal bull shark attacks in Florida’s recorded history, dating back to 1988. Remember that there could be some unofficially reported bull shark attacks that are not listed below that may have not been documented or have initially misidentified a bull shark as another species.
| Date | Victim | Location | Attack Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 13, 1988 | John Martin | Panama City Beach, FL | Killed while snorkeling around Shell Island by a 10-foot bull shark that had caused fatal thigh and hand wounds. |
| Sept. 13, 1995 | William Covert | Islamorada, FL | Killed by a 10–12-foot bull shark while diving near Alligator Reef off Islamorada |
| August 30, 2000 | Thadeus Kubinski | Pinellas County, FL | Killed while swimming behind his home pier in Pinellas County, Florida. Died from massive blood loss and organ damage before rescuers could get to him. The bull shark was estimated to be 9 feet long and weigh 400 pounds. |
| June 25, 2005 | Jamie Marie Daigle | Destin, FL | Daigle was killed while swimming with a friend on boogie boards about 200 yards off a beach in Walton County, Florida, 8 miles east of Destin, Florida. Witnesses estimated the shark was 6–8 feet long. Her left leg was severed and she died of massive blood loss |
| February 3, 2010 | Stephen Howard Schafer | Stuart, FL | Schafer was attacked while kitesurfing around 4:15 p.m. about 500 yards off an unguarded section of a beach south of Stuart Beach in Martin County, Florida. Authorities initially thought multiple sharks may have been involved in the incident due to reports by rescuers that he was surrounded by sharks. The Martin County medical examiner’s office concluded he died from massive blood loss from a leg wound. |
