If you're afraid of sharks, you should probably stay out of the water in Florida. The Sunshine State has been named the shark attack capital of the United States once again.
According to a joint study by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida, there were 120 "interactions" between sharks and humans worldwide in 2023.
Of those, 69 were "unprovoked" bites, meaning the shark likely misidentified a human as prey and swam away after taking one bite, per the study.
Another 22 attacks were considered to be "provoked," researchers found.
"Unusual incidents when a shark continues biting their victim, rather than swimming away, have been documented with tiger sharks, bull sharks and white sharks," the study explains. "The most common victim activity at the time of provoked attacks was spearfishing."
According to the data, the United States recorded the most unprovoked shark bites in 2023, with 36 confirmed cases -- accounting for 52% of incidents worldwide. This is slightly lower (a 12.2% decrease) than the 41 incidents recorded in 2022.
As in previous years, Florida had more shark bites than any other state with 16 attacks, which represent 44% of the U.S. total and 23% of unprovoked bites worldwide. That's followed by Hawaii with 8 attacks, New York with 4, North Carolina with 3, South Carolina with 2, California with 2, and New Jersey with 1.
The data shows there were 14 confirmed shark-related fatalities this year around the globe, ten of which are classified as "unprovoked."
Despite Florida's number one ranking, the state recorded no fatal shark attacks in 2023, according to the study. Only two deadly attacks occurred in the U.S. -- in Hawaii and California.
"Ten of the past year's unprovoked attacks were fatal, up from five the year before, with a disproportionate number occurring in Australia. Although the country accounted for 22% of all attacks, it made up 40% of fatalities," the study noted. "There were also two confirmed deaths in the U.S., and one each in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico and New Caledonia."
Three fatalities in 2023 occurred at one remote surfing destination off the coast of southern Australia: The Eyre Peninsula, known for its phenomenal surf breaks. According to the data, surfers experienced 42% of bites worldwide, with swimmers and waders a close second at 39%.
"If a white shark is going after a seal and the seal knows it, the white shark hasn’t got a chance," Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's shark research program, said in a statement. "Seals are really agile, so the only ones that get caught are the ones that are goofing off and flopping around on the surface minding their own business. And that's kind of what a surfer looks like."
Other confirmed, non-fatal bites occurred in Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, New Zealand, Seychelles, Turks and Caicos, Ecuador (in The Galápagos Islands) and South Africa.
Despite the increase, the number of bites and fatalities that occurred in 2023 are within the average for the last decade.
"Each year, there are consistently fewer than 100 unprovoked bites, making it more likely for someone to win the lottery than to be attacked by a shark," the study noted. "When there are more attacks, it often means that more people are spending time in the water — not that sharks have become more dangerous."