Shark Surge: Coastal U.S. Sees Spike in Attacks, Prompting Safety Measures

Recent months have brought a spike in shark activity and attacks across U.S. coastal regions, sparking heightened public awareness and new safety measures at the nation’s beaches. Florida once again leads the country in shark attacks, with data from USA Today and the International Shark Attack File indicating seven incidents in the state so far this year. On July twenty-second in Hollywood, South Florida, a Canadian tourist was hospitalized after being bitten by a shark in chest-deep water while swimming with a friend. Days earlier, a 69-year-old photographer in West Palm Beach was bitten in the forearm while trying to free a five-foot shark entangled underwater. Other notable Florida attacks include an eighteen-year-old surf instructor injured while paddling out at New Smyrna Beach and a nine-year-old girl bitten on the hand while snorkeling with her family in Boca Grande. Many of these incidents occurred in shallow water and involved swimmers, surfers, and snorkelers encountering sharks that may have been attracted by bait fish or splashing, as highlighted by local reports according to USA Today.

South Carolina has reported two incidents this year with teenage victims bitten in shallow surf at Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pines Beach just days apart in June, both requiring medical evacuation. In North Carolina, a twenty-six-year-old man suffered a leg injury at Sunset Beach in late May, and a twelve-year-old experienced a suspected shark-related knee injury in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Meanwhile, New York’s Long Island saw a twenty-year-old woman treated for minor cuts after a likely shark bite at Jones Beach State Park.

California beaches have not been immune, with La Jolla’s waters yielding a June attack in which a swimmer sustained injuries to his left hand, arm, and torso. Historically, Humboldt Bay and Salmon Creek Beach in Sonoma County remain California’s most shark-prone areas, mostly involving great white sharks. While fatalities in U.S. waters are rare, global numbers indicate nine fatalities in forty-eight verified attacks for 2025, with a particularly tragic event in Sydney, Australia, where a large shark killed a surfer, reported by En As Dot Com.

Several U.S. beaches, notably Huntington Beach in Orange County, California, and Little Beach in Maine, have instituted precautionary closures and advisories following increased shark sightings. According to news from AOL and additional updates from local fire departments, Northeast beaches have seen a rise in great white shark activity, prompting officials to post yellow flags and alert swimmers to recent credible sightings.

Experts from the Florida Program for Shark Research and the International Shark Attack File emphasize that while the number of attacks fluctuates each year due to complex environmental and human factors, the overall risk of fatal encounters remains exceptionally low—averaging about one in four and a half million. Key safety measures—from enhanced surveillance, such as increased drone and aerial patrols, to personal deterrents and public education—are being adopted nationwide. Many regions are moving away from old mitigation tools like shark nets, which have proven not only ineffective but also ecologically damaging, in favor of real-time monitoring and localized alerts.

Patterns suggest that most attacks involve non-fatal bites, often linked to mistaken identity or presence of bait fish, with unprovoked bites remaining rare considering the millions of annual beachgoers. Scientists continue to call for better data collection and new, non-lethal intervention methods to balance public safety with the ecological importance of sharks.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Recent months have brought a spike in shark activity and
attacks across US coastal regions, sparking heightened public awareness and
new safety measures at the nation's beaches. Florida once again
leads the country in shark attacks, with data from USA
Today and the International Shark Attack File indicating seven incidents
in the States so far this year. On July twenty second,

(00:21):
in Hollywood, South Florida, a Canadian tourist was hospitalized after
being bitten by a shark in chest deep water while
swimming with a friend. Days earlier, a sixty nine year
old photographer in West Palm Beach was bitten in the
forearm while trying to free a five foot shark entangled
under water. Other notable Florida attacks include an eighteen year

(00:42):
old surf instructor injured while paddling out at New Smyrna
Beach and a nine year old girl bitten on the
hand while snorkeling with her family in Boca Grounde. Many
of these incidents occurred in shallow water and involved swimmers, surfers,
and snorkelers encountering sharks that may have been attracted by
baitfish or split as highlighted by local reports. According to

(01:03):
USA Today, South Carolina has reported two incidents this year,
with teenage victims bitten in shallow surf at Hiltonhead Island
Sea Pines Beach just days apart in June, both requiring
medical evacuation. In North Carolina, a twenty six year old
man suffered a leg injury at Sunset Beach in late May,

(01:23):
and a twelve year old experienced a suspected shark related
knee injury in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Meanwhile, New York's Long
Island saw twenty year old woman treated from minor cuts
after a likely shark bite at Jones Beach State Park.
California beaches have not been a mute, with La Joya's
waters yielding a June attack in which a swimmer sustained

(01:44):
injuries to his left hand, arm and torsaw. California beaches
have not been attacked by the swimmer historically. Humble Bay
and Salmon Creek Beach in Sonoma County remain California's most
sharp areas, mostly involving great white sharks. While fatalities in

(02:05):
US waters are rare, global numbers indicate nine fatalities in
forty eight verified attacks for twenty twenty five, with a
particularly tragic event in Sydney, Australia, where a large shark
killed a surfer reported by inast dot com. Several US beaches,
notably Huntington Beach in Orange County, California, and Little Beach

(02:28):
in Maine, have instituted precautionary closures and advisories following increased
shark sightings. According to news from AOL and additional updates
from local fire departments, Northeast beaches have seen a rise

(02:50):
in great white shark activity, prompting officials to post yellow
flags and alert swimmers to recent credible sightings. Experts from
the Florida Program for Shark Research and the International Shark
Attack File emphasize that while the number of attacks fluctuates
each year due to complex environmental and human factors, the

(03:12):
overall risk of fatal encounters remains exceptionally low, averaging about
one in four and a half million. Key safety measures
from enhanced surveillance such as increased drone and aerial patrols,
to personal deterrens and public education are being adopted nationwide.
Many regions are moving away from old mitigation tools like

(03:34):
shark nets, which have proven not only ineffective but also
ecologically damaging, in favor of real time monitoring and localized alerts.
Tatterns suggest that most attacks involve non fatal bites, often
linked to mistaken identity or presence of bait fish, with
unprovoked bytes remaining rare considering the millions of annual beach goers.

(03:55):
Scientists continue to call for better data collection and new
non lethal intervention methods to balance public safety with the
ecological importance of sharks. Thank you for tuning in and
make sure to subscribe so you never miss an update.
This has been a quiet please production. For more check
out Quiet Please dot a I