ORLANDO, Fla. — Volusia County, but more so New Smyrna Beach, is yet again deemed the shark bite capital of the world, according the International Shark Attack File’s 2020 update. Other findings the report documented included global unprovoked shark attacks have decreased for the third year in a row.
However, what could be the first shark-attack related fatality of 2021 has already been reported earlier this month.
Kaelah Marlow, 19, of New Zealand, was swimming on Jan. 7 off the shores of Waihī Beach in New Zealand when she was injured in the water and died shortly later, according to a report by CNN. No confirmation has been made yet as to the cause of death, but early indications show the injury is consistent with a shark bite, CNN reported.
The early timing of the incident comes with ISAF’s report indicating 2020′s shark-bite fatality count grew dramatically over 2019.
Shark-bite related deaths increased to a total of 13 in 2020. Ten of those incidents were unprovoked; with three of them having occurred in the United States, another six in Australia and one in St. Martin in the Caribbean, according to the ISAF’s findings.
The count is shockingly high compared to 2019′s, which was documented at four deadly attacks. Still, ISAF experts are feeling encouraged by a different painted picture — the decreasing total of non-lethal incidents, which was recorded at 64 in 2019 and fell for the third year in a row to 57 in 2020.
The count is even more impressive considering its lower than the most recent five-year average (2015-2019) of 80 incidents annually.
“We have been seeing decreasing bite numbers for a while now,” said ISAF’s Tyler Bowling. “This is likely due to increased safety and public education programs about best marine recreation safety practices.”
Although, the COVID-19 pandemic also likely played a role in decreased incidents with many communities restricting beach access and implementing widespread quarantines, Bowling said.
Overall, the United States had 33 attacks in 2020, with the majority of course documented in Florida. There were 16 cases reported in the Sunshine State, with 50% of those documented in Volusia County. Most of those took place in New Smyrna Beach, said Captain Tamra Malphurs of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.
Volusia numbers were about average in 2020, and the pandemic may have played a role in that, as well, Malphurs said.
“We had some beach restrictions because of COVID last year, but there were days where we had very large crowds here on the beach and on weekend holidays. When places like the theme parks were closed everyone was coming here,” Malphurs said.
A few injuries required stitches and hospitalizations. None was life-threatening, Malphurs said.
“We’re careful about calling the incidents ‘attacks,’ since so many of them involve a shark taking a quick bite, and then deciding it wants nothing to do with the person,” she said. While Ocean Rescue is ready to help bitten swimmers, rescuers are much more concerned with rip current conditions. Ocean Rescue makes about 2,000 saves a year in Volusia water associated with rip current conditions.
“I’m not saying shark bites aren’t important, but rip tides are far more prevalent,” she said. “We try to educate our visitors on this. We do the same for sharks, too.”
Most shark incidents in Florida involve blacktip sharks, which annually migrate from the Carolina shores to Florida beaches in August and September, Bowling said. In the mornings, beachgoers can see tiny black fins pierce the surface of the blue waters. Typically, the blacktips swim closer to shore to hunt in the vicinity of swimmers as to avoid larger predators farther off shore.
“So, they and the humans are right on top of one another,” Bowling said. “The water is murky and churned up in the waves, which hides them from the prey, but also doesn’t allow them to see the prey clearly. So, they react to movement. Sometimes they bite a foot kicking from a board by mistake.”
Most of these incidents involve surfers because of their proximity to a hunting ground, but as stated previously these usually consist of minor injuries.
“I’ve even seen some of the more hardcore surfers jump back in the water rather than go to the hospital. I do not advise this,” Bowling said.
As for staying out of the ISAF documented shark bites, Malphurs recommends swimmers stay out of the water at times of low light such as dawn or sunset.
“If you see bait fish jumping out of the water, or birds diving in, you should get out temporarily,” she said. “If you see that, that means they’re hunting. Clear the water for a few minutes, until it looks like things have calmed down.”
