Florida is one of the most beautiful states in the United States. Famous for its incredible amusement and national parks, the “Sunshine State” is also home to some of the greatest beaches in the world, including renowned ones like Miami Beach. However, the state is also famous for another reason: shark attacks. But should this be a concern? Are there sharks on Florida beaches?
At least 45 species of shark have already been recorded in Florida. Also, the “Sunshine State” has the highest number of attacks on Earth and is considered the “shark bite capital of the world.” Even so, going to the ocean in Florida is safe, as the odds of dying in a shark incident are very low.
You have way more chances of dying hit by lightning than attacked by a shark. Even Fireworks kill more people than sharks. Of course, you can take some steps to improve your safety in the ocean, which you’ll learn how in this article.
In the following sections, you’ll find a nice infographic showing the most common sharks on Florida beaches, followed by a species guide. Finally, in the final chapter, you’ll find a complete database including all the shark attacks registered in Florida and how to reduce the risk of a shark incident.
To learn all about sharks on Florida beaches and how to avoid a shark attack, keep reading.
Sharks In Florida Beaches (Infographic)
Related Article: Are There Sharks In Fort Lauderdale? (Detailed Guide)
Are There Sharks On Florida Beaches? (Species Guide)
Sharks are all over the oceans, and as there are no borders between the “7 seas”, marine life can move freely through the globe. However, in the same way as humans, animals have their personal and biological preferences, cold or warm climates, some food, and mating partners, all of which matter when choosing a place to live. With that in mind, it’s safe to say:
At least 45 species of shark have been recorded in Florida. However, there are no borders between the oceans, so other sharks may be passing or living near the Sunshine State’s coast. Of the registered species, 15 are common on Florida’s coast, from magnificent Hammerheads to ferocious Bull Sharks.
Building up a list of common species of marine life in a determined area is never easy, as this kind of list can change very fast. After extensive research on the subject of sharks in Florida, I’ve found out that the most common sharks on Florida beaches are:
- Nurse Shark
- Blacktip Shark
- Tiger Shark
- Great Hammerhead Shark
- Bull Shark
- Caribbean Reef Shark
- Lemon Shark
- Sandbar Shark
- Silky Shark
- Dusky Shark
- Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
- Smooth Hammerhead Shark
- Whale Shark
- Bonnethead Shark
- Smalltooth Sawfish (Ray, not a shark)
Despite not being as common as the top fifteen, five other species are found in Florida that worth is mentioned as their presence seems to be growing in the area in the past years. They are the Shortfin Mako Shark, the Porbeagle, the Blue Shark, the ferocious Oceanic Whitetip Shark, and the feared and famous Great White Shark.
- Shark Species In Florida Beaches: 45 (At Least)
- Most Frequently Seen: Nurse Sharks
- Most Dangerous/Aggressive Species: Bull Sharks / Tiger Shark / Great White Shark
- Biggest Sharks Found In Florida: Whale Shark (largest species on Earth)
In the following table, you can check some nice scientific facts about the 15 most common sharks in Florida and the other five species of interest. Keep in mind that the Smalltooth Sawfish is not actually a shark but a ray. This species is common in Florida, especially in the winter. Unfortunately, according to SharkToursFl, this animal is critically endangered. Habitat loss seems to be the main cause, as it has driven these incredible animals near extinction.
| Species | Scientific Name | Maximum Size | Aggressiveness |
| Nurse Shark | Ginglymostoma cirratum | Up to 4.2 m (14 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Blacktip Shark | Carcharhinus limbatus | Up to 2 m (6.5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Tiger Shark | Galeocerdo cuvier | Up to 9 m (29 ft) | Very Aggressive (Extremely Dangerous) |
| Great Hammerhead Shark | Sphyrna mokarran | Up to 6 m (20 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Bull Shark | Carcharhinus leucas | Up to 2.1 m (6.8 ft) | Very Aggressive (Extremely Dangerous) |
| Caribbean Reef Shark | Carcharhinus perezi | Up to 3 m (10 ft) | Not Aggressive (Poisonous To Eat) |
| Lemon Shark | Negaprion brevirostris | Up to 3.7 m (12.1 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Sandbar Shark | Carcharhinus plumbeus | Up to 2 m (6.5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Silky Shark | Carcharhinus falciformis | Up to 3.5 m (11.5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Dusky Shark | Carcharhinus obscurus | Up to 3.6 m (12 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Scalloped Hammerhead Shark | Sphyrna lewini | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Smooth Hammerhead Shark | Sphyrna zygaena | Up to 5 m (16 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Whale Shark | Rhincodon typus | Up to 18 m! (59 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Bonnethead Shark | Sphyrna tiburo | Up to 1.2 m (4 ft) | Not Aggressive (Harmless) |
| Smalltooth Sawfish (Ray, not a shark) | Pristis pectinata | Up to 5 m (16 ft) | Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Oceanic Whitetip Shark | Carcharhinus longimanus | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Very Aggressive (Dangerous) |
| Shortfin Mako Shark | Isurus oxyrinchus | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Porbeagle | Lamna nasus | Up to 3.5 m (11.5 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Blue Shark | Prionace glauca | Up to 4 m (13 ft) | Not Aggressive (Potentially Dangerous) |
| Great White Shark | Carcharodon carcharias | Up to 7 m (23 ft) | Very Aggressive (Extremely Dangerous) |
The sharks described in the table above are more abundant in the area, but in the following list, you can see more species of these incredible creatures that can be eventually seen around Florida.
- Sand Tiger Shark
- Thresher Shark
- Spinner Shark
- Finetooth Shark
- Blacknose Shark
- Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
- Smooth Dogfish
- Spiny Dogfish
- Atlantic Angel Shark
- Basking Shark
- Bigeye Sand Tiger Shark
- Bigeye Sixgill Shark
- Bignose Shark
- Caribbean Sharpnose Shark
- Galapagos Shark
- Leopard Shark
- Longfin Mako Shark
- Narrowtooth Shark
- Night Shark
- Sharpnose Sevengill Shark
- Sixgill Shark
- Smalltail Shark
- Bigeye Thresher Shark
- Common Thresher Shark
Related Article: Are There Sharks In Delaware River? (Surprising Answer)
Shark Attacks In Florida Beaches
Florida is the world’s hotspot of shark incidents, and the main reason for it is Volusia County, the “shark bite capital of the world.” A region in Florida accounts for 10% of all shark attacks (ever!) in the world’s history. Or at least since institutes started to keep track of shark incidents.
According to ISAF, to this day, there are 3,292 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in the entire world, covering the period from the early 1500s to the present. International Shark Attack File (ISAF) is the world’s only scientifically documented, comprehensive database of all known shark attacks.
- Unprovoked shark attacks in the World: 3292
- Unprovoked shark attacks in the United States: 1563
- Unprovoked shark attacks in Florida: 896
- Unprovoked shark attacks in Volusia County: 337 (more than 10% of all attacks in the world).
Out of 3,292 unprovoked incidents, 1,563 occurred in the United States (the top 1 country in the world in shark incidents). The main reason for the high numbers in the US is the state of Florida, with 896 shark attacks registered. Out of 896, 337 were incidents in Volusia County. That means that more than 10% of all the confirmed unprovoked shark attacks took place in Volusia County.
| TOP 5 COUNTRIES | UNPROVOKED ATTACKS |
|---|---|
| USA | 1563 |
| Australia | 682 |
| Republic of South Africa | 258 |
| Brazil | 110 |
| New Zealand | 56 |
ISAF researchers did a stunning analytical job of extracting meaningful information from the more than 1,000 incidents registered in Florida. In addition, it resulted in some nice graphics showing relevant information, such as victim activity during unprovoked shark attacks in Florida, the percentage of species involved with unprovoked attacks in Florida, the number of incidents by time of day and month, and much more. You can check some of these graphics in the following section or the entire content.
Victim Activity During Unprovoked Shark Attacks in Florida by Decade
Species Involved with Unprovoked Shark Attacks in Florida
Requiem in this graphic relates to the family Carcharhinidae, including sharks like the Blacktip, Spinner, and the Sandbar. As they have a lot of similarities, such as tooth shape, body size, and appearance, it’s hard to assign, beyond doubt, a species to a bite case. Even so, ISAF suspects Blacktip Sharks account for the majority of these requiem bites in Florida.
Florida Shark Attacks by Month
Time of Unprovoked Shark Attacks in Florida
In the following table, I gathered all the GSAF incidents in Florida from 2020 to November 2022, as listing all the attacks would result in more than 1,200 entries. Even so, if you want to download the most reliable and updated list of all the incidents on Earth (and Florida), you can do so by clicking here. If not, you can take a quick look at the more recent data in the table below.
| Incident Date | Incident Area | Incident Location | Victim Activity | Incident Type | Fatal? (Y/N) |
| 10-Oct-2022 | Florida | Key Largo, Monroe County | Fishing | Provoked | N |
| 13-Aug-2022 | Florida | Looe Key, Monroe County | Snorkeling | Unprovoked | N |
| 27-Jul-2022 | Florida | Florida Keys, Monroe County | Lobstering | Unprovoked | N |
| 25-Jul-2022 | Florida | Daytona Beach, Volusia County | Wading | Unprovoked | N |
| 19-Jul-2022 | Florida | Cape Canaveral, Brevard County | Unprovoked | N | |
| 17-Jul-2022 | Florida | Content Keys, Monroe County | Fishing | Provoked | N |
| 16-Jul-2022 | Florida | Daytona Beach Shores, Volusia County | Unprovoked | N | |
| 10-Jul-2022 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 03-Jul-2022 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 30-Jun-2022 | Florida | Keaton Beach, | Scalloping | Unprovoked | N |
| 29-Jun-2022 | Florida | Sawyer Key , Monroe County | Swimming | Unprovoked | N |
| 29-Jun-2022 | Florida | Summerland Key, Monroe County | Jumped into water | Unprovoked | N |
| 23-Jun-2022 | Florida | Redington Beach, Pinellas County | Unprovoked | N | |
| 17-Apr-2022 | Florida | Whale Harbor, Islamorada, Monroe County | Unprovoked | N | |
| 11-Apr-2022 | Florida | Higkand Beach, Palm Beach County | Standing | Unprovoked | N |
| 07-Apr-2022 | Florida | Canaveral National Seashore | Kayaking | Unprovoked | N |
| 31-Mar-2022 | Florida | Lake Worth Beach, Palm Beach County | Fishing | Provoked | n |
| 13-Mar-2022 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 09-Mar-2022 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Fishing | Provoked | N |
| 11-Feb-2022 | Florida | Cocoa Beach, Brevard County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 06-Jan-2022 | Florida | Anna Maria Island, Manatee County | Wing Foil Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 22-Dec-2021 | Florida | Anna Maria Island, Manatee County | Wing Foil Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 04-Oct-2021 | Florida | Fort Pierce State Park, St. Lucie County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 03-Oct-2021 | Florida | Jensen Beach, Martin County | Swimming | Unprovoked | N |
| 09-Sep-2021 | Florida | Ponce Inlet, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 21-Aug-2021 | Florida | Walton Beach Psrk, St. Lucie County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 07-Aug-2021 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 07-Aug-2021 | Florida | Key Largo, Monroe County | Snorkeling | Unprovoked | N |
| 30-Jul-2021 | Florida | Ponce Inlet, Volusia County | Fishing | Provoked | N |
| 21-Jul-2021 | Florida | Near Patrick AFB, Brevard County | N | ||
| 15-Jul-2021 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Boogie boarding | Unprovoked | N |
| 10-Jul-2021 | Florida | Bathtub Beach, Martin County | Playing | Unprovoked | N |
| 10-Jul-2021 | Florida | 46 miles off Mayport, Duval County | Spearfishing | Unprovoked | Y |
| 04-Jul-2021 | Florida | Ponce Inlet, Volusia County | Standing | Unprovoked | N |
| 28-Jun-2021 | Florida | Block Houe Beach, Brevard County | Surfing | Unprovoked | Nq |
| 18-Jun-2021 | Florida | Bethune Beach, Volusia County | Standing | Unprovoked | N |
| 17-Jun-2021 | Florida | Grayton Beach State Park, Walton County | Swimming | Unprovoked | N |
| 14-Jun-2021 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Standing | Unprovoked | N |
| 14-Jun-2021 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Standing | Unprovoked | N |
| 06-May-2021 | Florida | Daytona Beach Shores, Volusia County | Wading | Unprovoked | N |
| 30-Apr-2021 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 29-Apr-2021 | Florida | Vero Beach, Indian River County | Boggie boarding | Unprovoked | N |
| 02-Apr-2021 | Florida | Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade County | Swimming | Unprovoked | N |
| 30-Mar-2021 | Florida | Vero Beach, Indian River County | Unprovoked | N | |
| 25-Mar-2021 | Florida | Indian River County | Unprovoked | N | |
| 25-Mar-2021 | Florida | Fort Lauderdale, Broward County | Swimming | Unprovoked | N |
| 21-Mar-2021 | Florida | Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County | Body surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 18-Mar-2021 | Florida | Juno Beach, Palm Beach County | Wading | Unprovoked | N |
| 22-Jan-2021 | Florida | Off Tampa Bay | Fishing | Watercraft | N |
| 03-Jan-2021 | Florida | Cocoa Beach, Brevard County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 02-Jan-2021 | Florida | Cocoa Beach, Brevard County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 31-Oct-2020 | Florida | Ormond Beach | Swimming | Unprovoked | N |
| 07-Oct-2020 | Florida | Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County | Body Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 29-Sep-2020 | Florida | Near Key Largo | Provoked | N | |
| 20-Sep-2020 | Florida | Sombero Key Light, Monroe County | Snorkeling | Unprovoked | N |
| 16-Sep-2020 | Florida | Daytona Beach Shores, Volusia County | Swimming | N | |
| 15-Sep-2020 | Florida | Ponce Inlet, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 15-Sep-2020 | Florida | Melbourne Beach, Brevard County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 08-Sep-2020 | Florida | Canaveral National Seashore | Surf fishing | N | |
| 02-Sep-2020 | Florida | Jensen Beach, Martin County | Unprovoked | N | |
| 23-Aug-2020 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Standing | Unprovoked | N |
| 22-Aug-2020 | Florida | St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island, St. Johns County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 20-Aug-2020 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Boogie boarding | Unprovoked | N |
| 10-Aug-2020 | Florida | Off Gasparilla Island, Charlotte County | Fishing | Provoked | N |
| 31-Jul-2020 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 29-Jul-2020 | Florida | Florida Keys | Diving | Unprovoked | N |
| 23-Jul-2020 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Standing | Unprovoked | N |
| 19-Jul-2020 | Florida | Cocoa Beach, Brevard County | Wading | Unprovoked | N |
| 14-Jul-2020 | Florida | Melbourne Beach, Brevard County | Wading | Unprovoked | N |
| 10-Jul-202 | Florida | Cocoa Beach, Brevard County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 22-Jun-2020 | Florida | Homestead, Miami-Dade County | Playing | Unprovoked | N |
| 07-Apr-2020 | Florida | Cocoa Beach, Brevard County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 22-Mar-2020 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
| 22-Mar-2020 | Florida | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County | Surfing | Unprovoked | N |
Related Questions
Are sharks common on Florida beaches? Sharks are very common on Florida beaches, with at least 45 species confirmed. However, shark attacks are still rare. Despite Florida being the number one place in the number of shark incidents worldwide, the odds of dying in a shark attack are very low (1 in 4,332,817).
What part of Florida has the most sharks? Florida has already recorded 45 species of shark on its coast. The part of Florida with the most shark attacks is Volusia County, considered the “shark bite capital of the world.” The county is responsible for more than 10% of all shark attacks ever.
How close do sharks get to shore in Florida? Sharks get very close to the shore in Florida, but it’s usually not a problem. Despite the high number of shark attacks in the state compared to other places, the odds of dying attacked by a shark are way lower than dying by drowning or ever hit by lightning.
Do sharks attack in Florida? Sharks do attack in Florida, but the chances of being attacked are very low despite the high numbers and the region’s reputation. Most shark incidents worldwide occur in the Sunshine State, especially in Volusia County, considered the “shark bite capital of the world.”
Sources
- Shark Attack Data: http://www.sharkattackdata.com/place/united_states_of_america/florida
- Global Shark Attack File (GSAF): https://www.sharkattackfile.net/
- Florida Museum: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/
- International Shark Attack File (ISAF): https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/
- Sea Grant Florida: Common sharks of Florida
- Shark Tours: Shark species of Florida
- Outforia: Sharks in Florida
- Florida GoFishing: Shark species | Shark ID Guide