"Back-to-back shark attacks in the Florida Panhandle have left at least one swimmer in critical condition this month. But despite the clips inundating your Instagram feed, your chance of getting bitten is still small -- less than one in four million, said Gavin Naylor, director of the University of Florida's shark-research program.
Shark populations have rebounded since the 1990s thanks to conservation efforts, for both sharks and their prey.
Today some 130 species patrol the East Coast, Naylor added. Most stay at depths where they're unlikely to encounter people, but some are more likely to stray into waters with swimmers and surfers -- especially at coastal hot spots. More people in the waves plus more sharks means more encounters.
Throughout the year, sharks follow prey and ocean temperatures. Most great whites, for instance, go south for the winter to warmer waters near Florida. Warming sea surface temperatures mean scientists are seeing more sharks and species in places compared with a couple of decades ago, said Dean Grubbs, a shark expert and research professor at Florida State University.
Young sharks tend to remain in the refuge of shallower areas near the shore where larger predators are less common. As sharks age, they can pursue a wider range of prey and expand their range. Naylor suspects that younger great whites are more likely to mistakenly bite humans as they start to mature and focus on new prey like seals.
You can reduce your risk by not swimming at dawn or dusk when sharks are most active, staying close to shore and swimming in groups, said Jon Dodd, executive director of the Atlantic Shark Institute.” [1]
1. U.S. News: Where Sharks, Swimmers Meet on East Coast. Churchill, Carl; Woodward, Aylin. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 22 June 2026: A3.
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