One of the county's beaches, Daytona Beach (pictured), has the world's highest concentration of shark attacks] But it was Volusia County, Florida that claimed the dubious title of shark attack capital of the world with eight recorded attacks last year.
A 45-year-old woman was bitten by a shark in the water near Watersound Beach, South Walton, and had to be evacuated by air (pictured)] The International Shark Attack File records the number of unprovoked shark attacks which take place each year.
Unlike most shark species, bull sharks (pictured) can tolerate fresh water and have been known to swim hundreds of miles upstream from the coast] Of those bites, eight were located in the 'shark bite capital of the world' Volusia County, a region of Florida between the St Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean.
Since juveniles struggle to distinguish humans from prey, unprovoked attacks are more common] However, the study shows that 2024 was a quiet year for shark activity with just 47 attacks - down 22 from 2023 and well below the 10-year average.
Hawaii was the site of the United States' only fatal unprovoked shark attack this year after Tamayo Perry (right), a 49-year-old lifeguard, surfer and actor, was killed by an unknown shark in Oahu, Hawaii.
