June 16th 2023.
Shark sightings and attacks have been making headlines recently, and tourists heading to Spain have been alarmed to find them in the waters of popular holiday destinations. On June 15, beach-goers at Aguamarina Beach in Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante, were filmed running from waist-high water as a seven-foot blue shark drew close. And now, a second shark has been spotted in Menorca at Ciutadella Port.
The news of a Russian tourist being killed by a shark in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada has only stoked these fears. But how worried should swimmers really be? How often do fatal maulings occur with sharks in Spain?
The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) confirms that there were only 57 unprovoked worldwide attacks in 2022, which is lower than the five-year average of 70 incidents annually. Of these 57 cases, only five were fatal. Unprovoked attacks, as the name suggests, occur when a bite happens in the shark’s natural habitat without any human provocation. Provoked bites, on the other hand, occur when humans try to touch the shark or feed it directly. In 2022, there were only 32 incidents of provoked bites.
Most of the unprovoked shark attacks reported across the world occur in the United States, and in 2022, there were 41 confirmed cases – 72% of the worldwide total. This figure was lower than the 47 incidents reported in the US in 2021. Of these 41 incidents, 16 were in Florida alone – 39% of the US total and 28% of all unprovoked bites worldwide. Australia had nine attacks, followed by Egypt and South Africa with two incidents each, all of which were fatal.
The total number of unprovoked shark bites worldwide is very low, particularly in Europe. Moreover, fatality rates have been decreasing for years due to improvements in beach safety, medical treatment, and public awareness. Following the fatal attack in Egypt, a temporary swimming ban was placed from the El-Gouna Resort to Abu Souma Bay. A tiger shark believed to be responsible for the attack was caught and killed.
It is important to stay aware of the latest shark attack reports. You can track shark attacks worldwide in 2023 via the website Tracking Sharks. Despite the recent news, it is important to remember that fatal shark attacks like the ones we have seen in Egypt are very rare.
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