| North America has the highest rates of shark attack in the world, concentrated in Florida and Southern California, totaling almost 700 counts since records were kept. Florida alone has taken a third of the world total and two-thirds of the US total for the last ten years, averaging 20 attacks per year, mainly around the beaches of Volusia County. Although the beaches of Florida may at first look like the most dangerous places to enter the water, it is interesting to note that only 1% prove fatal compared to a world average of around 15%. This is due largely to smaller sharks (up to 2 metres) that are just 'taste testing', being the main culprits. The main reason for the high attack rate in the US, is not the vast numbers of dangerous sharks in these areas, but simply the number of people that take to the water. Florida is the prime holiday resort of the United States, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world. California, whilst also visited by many tourists, has an established surfing and diving culture, bringing more and more people into contact with sharks. California suffers more Great White shark attacks then anywhere else in the world, with approximately 40% of the world total. This is not surprising, considering that the waters of off California are one of | |
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the main Great White breeding grounds in the world. Both the East coast and West coast share the same trends in attacks, with between two-thirds to three quarters of all attacks occurring during the warm summer months. |
