Should You Worry About Sharks on Your Beach Vacation?
Can’t relax at the beach because you’re worried about sharks? You’re in good company: In fact, 38% of Americans say their fear of sharks is so acute that they won’t go in the water at all.
But are those fears justified?
In part, yes: The United States leads the world in shark attacks. In 2023, there were 36 unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S. — two of them fatal. That represented more than half of the world total. Most of these happened in just a few states: Florida (16 attacks), Hawaii (8), New York (4), and North Carolina (3).
The threat looks a little different with more context, however. Research shows that most sharks won’t bother us. Of the 548 identified shark species, only 13 are known to regularly bite humans. In fact, nearly 2/3 of shark attacks are attributable to just three species: bull sharks (13% of attacks), tiger sharks (15%), and great white sharks (37%).
Some additional detail: From 2004-2013, 8 people died from shark bites. That’s 45 times less than the number who died from rip currents during the same period.
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