How common are shark bites in Florida? Here's what experts say

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Published  December 18, 2024 12:16pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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How common are shark bites in Florida really?

New Smyrna Beach in Florida is often touted as the "shark bite capitol" of the world. But, how likely are you to actually have an interaction with a shark?

NEW SMYRNA BEACH - Charley Hajek – better known as Gnarly Charley – has been surfing since the 1970s. He’s a legend in the sport. 

He lives in New Smyrna Beach, and surfs there all the time.

But this year, as he was paddling back onto the shore one day, something happened for the very first time. 

"I was just like, ‘Oh my God, I just got bit!’" Hajek said. He stepped off his board, and onto a shark. 

"It didn't try to shake or thrash me, it just bit me and let me go," he said. "I think I startled it. We startled each other."

RELATED | Shark bites surfer 'Gnarly Charley' in New Smyrna Beach: 'I could just feel it go clamp'

Florida shark experts said that if you’re going to get bitten, that’s about what you can expect from the experience.

Toby Daly-Engel, the Director of the Florida Tech Shark Conservation Lab, said New Smyrna Beach is the shark bite capital of the world – there are more bites there than anywhere else. Melbourne, just south of there, is second in line.

"It's really the kind of the shape of the coastline, the type of inflow and outflow," Daly-Engel said. "It tends to bring those prey fishes closer to shore."

Daly-Engel said we’ve all heard the thing about sharks going after surfers because they look like seals or turtles. That’s not the case in Florida.

"Most types of attacks that you see here are when people are just walking in shallow water or swimming in the type of water that you can actually stand up in," Daly-Engel said.

In Florida, we have tiny sharks. They go after mid-sized fish, which tend to be found in knee or waist-deep water, seeking out even smaller fish.

And if you really are super freaked out about it, Deputy Chief A.J. Miller of Volusia County Beach Safety said that knowledge about their habits can help guide your ocean visit.

"If you go to the beach, and you see pelicans diving into the water, they're diving on those bait pods," Miller said. He added that seeing shadows moving through the water can also be indicative of a bait pod. 

RELATED | 4 shark bites in 6 days bolster Volusia County's status as 'shark bite capital of the world'

There have been 13 documented shark bites in Volusia County this year and there were six the year before.

But Daly-Engel said that increase is just happenstance. Overall, numbers for bites stay pretty consistent. And she said there’s no record of anyone being killed by a shark bite in New Smyrna Beach.

"[Sharks] can actually live for hundreds of years, and it takes a really long time for them to have babies. And you don't live to be hundreds of years old by being foolish. So sharks are actually incredibly timid creatures,"she said. 

Sharks are out there, but there’s really no cause for alarm, according to experts.

"Our sharks aren't going to grab on and thrash around like you see in the movies," said Deputy Chief Miller. "It is an accidental bite."

Deputy Chief Miller said Beach Safety officials are trained to treat shark bites. They’re basically the same as any other laceration, you just want to clean the wound up and stop the bleeding.

Miller said a lot of surfers will actually use their ankle leash as a tourniquet and drive themselves to the hospital. That’s exactly what Hajek did. But you won’t see that stopping him from surfing.

"I see them every day. They don't bother me," Hajek said. "I have a lot of respect for the ocean and sharks. That's their home."

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