Ever wonder which beaches lead the United States in shark attacks dating back nearly four centuries?
Well, the webside Tideschart.com has compiled a list of all U.S. shark attacks dating back to 1642 and, not surprisngly, Florida has the majority of the top 10 sites during that time frame.
“The concentration of shark attacks along Florida’s coastline is striking,” said Tideschart founder Ryan Blundell via a press release. “Many people are unaware that certain beaches pose significantly higher risks than others when it comes to shark activity.”
The top 10 list is as follows:
New Smyrna Beach (Florida)Daytona Beach (Florida)’Cocoa Beach (Florida)Myrtle Beach (South Carolina)Palm Beach (Florida)Indialantic Boardwalk (Florida)Fort Pierce Inlet (Florida)Jupiter Beach Park (Florida)Riviera Beach (Florida)(tie) Cape Canaveral (Florida) and Isle of Palms (South Carolina).
(Data is provided by Tideschart)
Yes, that’s nine Florida beaches in the top 10, including the tie for 10th place.
And how many attacks were recorded within those top 10 spots? Incredibly, New Smyrna Beach, which is on the Sunshine state’s East coast, has had 277 shark attacks dating back 386 years (the study doesn’t include 2025) — a whopping 210 more than second-place Daytona (67).
Cocoa (39), Myrtle (36), Palm (35) and Indialantic (30) are next with every other top 10 beach at 24 or less.
Despite the surprising data, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says people shouldn’t fear swimming in Florida’s beaches, according to NBCMiami.com.
“It is extremely unlikely for a person to be bitten by a shark in Florida waters, and bites are rarely life threatening,” the organization said.
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