GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida once again leads the nation in shark bites, according to newly released data that comes just as beach season ramps up.
The latest report from the Florida Museum of Natural History shows global shark bites returned to near-average levels in 2025, and the number of unprovoked bites in the United States has decreased overall during the past five years, but it remains the region with the highest reported activity, accounting for 38% of incidents worldwide last year.
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According to researchers with the museum’s International Shark Attack File, there were 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide last year, slightly below the 10-year average of 72. Eleven of those bites happened in Florida — more than any other state, though the number is down from recent years.
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Volusia County, often referred to as the shark bite capital of the world, accounted for more than half of Florida’s bites. But numbers there also declined in recent years. According to the report, the county recorded six bites in 2025, below its recent 10-year average of nine and well under the recent spike of 17 bites in 2021.
Experts say Florida’s high numbers are largely a result of how many people are in the water, not because there are more sharks in this state.
“It’s very densely packed with surfers… so you now have a situation with sharks chasing their dinner in an environment that’s all churned up because of the surf,” said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research. “The visibility is poor, and it’s full of people on surfboards with their arms and legs dangling over the side.”
According to the report, of the 25 shark bites reported in the U.S., there was one fatality. In central California, a 55-year-old triathlete was attacked by a white shark, also known as a great white shark, after entering Monterey Bay with members of the open-ocean swimming club she co-founded.
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The remaining unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. occurred in California, Hawaii, Texas and North Carolina.
To reduce the risk of a shark bite, experts recommend swimming in groups and avoiding the water at dawn and dusk, when sharks are more active and visibility is lower.