SEACREST — Walton County beaches were closed Friday afternoon due to two shark attacks that left three people injured, two of them seriously.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Walton County Fire Department and the South Walton Fire District responded to a report that a woman had been injured by a shark near Watersound Way and Coopersmith Lane just after 1:15 p.m. Friday.
The South Walton Fire District transported the victim to a local medical facility. At a 5 p.m. news conference, officials said the woman, 45, lost her lower left arm and was injured in the waist. She was hospitalized in critical condition.
They said she was swimming past the first sandbar when she was injured.
Watch the shark attack press conference here.
As for the second attack: At approximately 2:56 p.m., the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and South Walton Fire District responded to an area near Inlet Beach. According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, two people were injured.
At the news conference, officials said the victims were between 15 and 17 years old. They were in waist-deep water just beyond the first sandbar, about 6 kilometers from the site of the first attack. One victim was hospitalized in critical condition and another in stable condition.
Double-red flags are now flying on nearby beaches, meaning the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are closed. Those who violate the warning will be fined $500.
For this reason, all Walton County beaches will be closed for the remainder of the day Friday.
Additionally, neighboring Bay County closed its beaches.
According to trackingsharks.com, the incidents in Walton County are the top three shark-related incidents in Florida in 2024.
How many shark bites have there been worldwide in 2023?
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File investigated 120 suspected shark-human interactions worldwide in 2023. Sixty-nine were confirmed to be unprovoked shark bites on humans and 22 as provoked bites.
Distribution of 2023 reports worldwide:
- Unprovoked bites: 69
- Bites caused: 22
- Boat Bites: 9
- Recovery: 2 (post-mortem bites)
- Public aquariums: 1
- No assignment could be made: 1
- Unconfirmed: 16
Related coverage:Bay County closes beaches following two shark attacks in neighboring Walton County
How does 2023 compare to other years when it comes to shark bites?
The 69 unprovoked confirmed cases match the most recent five-year average (2018-2022) of 63 incidents per year, according to the Florida Museum.
How many fatal shark bites occurred in 2023?
There have been 14 confirmed shark-related deaths this year, 10 of which were considered unprovoked. Two occurred in the United States
By 2023, the five-year average of fatal shark bites will more than double
The 14 shark-related deaths are higher than the five-year annual global average of six unprovoked deaths per year.
Three of the unprovoked deaths were due to white shark bites on surfers in Australia.
The Florida Museum said the increase in deaths in 2023 could reflect year-to-year variation, “but it could also be a consequence of increasing numbers of white sharks observed at aggregation sites near the beaches popular with surfers (especially in Australia). “
The 5 Best Places in the World for Unprovoked Shark Bites
According to the International Shark Attack File, the top 5 locations for unprovoked shark bites are:
- United States: 36, with 2 deaths
- Australia: 15, including 4 fatalities
- New Caledonia: 3, including 1 fatal
- Brazil, 3 years, no deaths
- Egypt: 2, including 1 fatal
The United States recorded the highest number of unprovoked shark bites in 2023, with 36 confirmed cases. This is slightly lower than the 41 incidents recorded in 2022.
Florida tops U.S. in number of unprovoked shark bites
Florida continues to be No. 1. 1 slot for the number of shark bites.
There have been 16 bites — although none were fatal — confirmed in 2023. That’s lower than Florida’s historical average of 19 incidents per year.
- Florida: 16 bites, none fatal
- Hawaii: 8 bites, 1 fatal
- New York: 4 bites, none fatal
- California: 2 bites, 1 fatal
- North Carolina: 3 bites, none fatal
- South Carolina: 2 bites, none fatal
- New Jersey: 1 bite, none fatal
- What do people do when bitten by sharks?
According to the Florida Museum, this is what people did when bitten by a shark:
Surfing/board sports: 42%
Swimming/wading: 39%
Snorkeling/snorkeling: 13%
Other: 6%
Florida’s East Coast is home to most shark attacks in the state
Although there have been shark bites across the state, two things stand out:
No shark bites have been reported in the Big Bend area.
The majority of shark bites occur along the east coast of Florida, particularly between Jacksonville and Palm Beach County.
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Top 10: Confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in Florida from 1882 to present
Volusia County: 351
Brevard County: 158
Palm Beach County: 83
St. Johns County: 45
Duval County: 46
Martin County: 41
St. Lucie County: 39
Indian River County: 22
Monroe County: 21
Miami-Dade County: 20