Florida’s worst in U.S. for shark bites

Researchers tally 31 bites in area that regularly draw throngs of surfers

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File releases its annual tally. And Florida’s Volusia County topped the world in shark bites in 2017. Again.

Nine shark bites were reported last year on Volusia County beaches, which are popular with surfers, said Lindsay French, who recently took over supervision of the university’s International Shark Attack File.

The Volusia count is down six bites from the previous year but is still more than any other location in the world.

“Volusia County just has the most surfers in Florida and the most people in the water, so they keep topping the chart for shark attacks,” French said.

In Florida, 31 bites were reported, just above the annual average of 29.

Elsewhere, according to the researchers, South Carolina had 10 unprovoked shark attacks in 2017, Hawaii had six and California had two. Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia had one bite apiece.

According to the Shark Attack File, there were 88 unproven shark attacks and five fatalities worldwide in 2017, also higher than the five-year annual average of 83. More than half of these attacks — 60 percent — happened in U.S. waters, with 53 bites.

Australia was next with 14 attacks and one fatality. There were two attacks in the Bahamas , and one fatal attack at Cuba’s Guardalavaca Beach, Cuba’s first since the 1930s.