It seems like we are hearing more and more about shark bites near Florida beaches. But what if you could track shark activity before you even head to the beach?
Florida is known for many things: beautiful beaches, sunny days and lots of traffic. And it also continues to reign as the shark-attack capital of the country.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, the state recorded the most unprovoked shark bites in the U.S. in 2023, with 16 confirmed cases.
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And just last month, in less than a week, there were four reported shark bites in Volusia County.
But while it is unlikely that you will be bitten on your next trip to the beach, you can actually track and see the latest shark activity with a helpful shark tracker by OCEARCH.
How does the tracker work?
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The OCEARCH Shark Tracker not only lets you search the latest shark activity around the world, but it also lets you filter by location, sex, animal age, tracking activity and species.
This, of course, is the activity of animals that scientists have managed to tag over the years.
More than 400 animals have been tagged by OCEARCH's team and that includes other animals like alligators, dolphins, turtles and seals.
OCEARCH is a global and data-centric non-profit organization that was designed to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean while open sourcing their research and explorations.
With the help of SPOT (Smart Positioning and Temperature) Tags, OCEARCH can track sharks in real time.
When a shark’s fin remains above the water’s surface for some time, the tags transmit a “ping” location.
Now, it is important to note that not every shark in the sea has been tagged. So even if you check the tracker, it’s important to be vigilant when you go to the beach.
Tips to reduce risk of a shark bite
NBC6 reached out to a shark expert from Nova Southeastern University to learn behaviors that can reduce the risk of a shark bite.
Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D. is a professor for the Department of Biological Sciences and serves as Director at the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center as well as the Guy Harvey Research Institute.
According to Dr. Shivji, here are some tips to follow:
- Slowly move toward the shore and get out of the water. Stay as calm as possible, and avoid splashing.
- Never try to touch a shark, yank its tail or harass the shark in any way.
- Don't wear shiny, reflective objects – like jewelry – when in the ocean. Fish scales also reflect light, and it’s possible that a shark might be attracted by that.
- Avoid uneven tanning as well as bright-colored and high contrasting clothing because sharks see contrast particularly well.
- Do not swim where people are fishing of if there is fishing bait in the water.
- Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep drop-offs, as these are popular hangout spots for sharks.
- Always stay with a buddy, since sharks are more likely to approach a solitary individual. Also, don't wander too far from shore.
- Avoid being in the water during low light hours, such as dawn or dusk, and at night when many sharks are most active and feeding.
- Sharks have never been shown to be attracted to the smell of human blood; however, it may still be advisable to stay out of the water if bleeding from an open wound.
