User:Guy vandegrift/2024/Shark

Why do some Caribbean islands have more shark attacks than others?
There are a couple reasons why some Caribbean islands might see more shark encounters than others:


 * Shark presence: Islands with healthy reefs and a variety of fish tend to attract more sharks, especially larger predators. These areas provide a good hunting ground for sharks.
 * Human presence: Areas with more tourists or water activities like diving and fishing have a higher chance of encounters simply because there are more people in the water.
 * Shark species: The Bahamas, for instance, is known for having more shark encounters. This might be due to the presence of tiger sharks, which are more likely to attack humans than reef sharks.

It's important to note that shark attacks are very rare in the Caribbean overall.-- Chatbot Gemini

Some Caribbean islands are more dangerous than others

 * Taken from this website: The Most Dangerous, Shark-Infested Beach In The Caribbean

An extremely dangerous beach is West End, the oldest town and westernmost settlement on the Bahamian island of Grand Bahama. It is is home to various shark species, including Tiger sharks, known for their frequent attacks on humans. For this reason, it's often referred to as one of the most dangerous beaches in the world, as well as the Caribbean. In recent times, West End has been the site of shark-related deaths and accidents.

According to the International Shark Attack File, the Bahamas has one of the world's highest rates of shark attacks. At the time of this publication, the database states that 33 unprovoked shark attacks have occurred in the islands since 1749. In 2014, Dr. John Petty from Texas disappeared while shark diving in Tiger Beach. Although his body was never recovered, it's believed a shark killed him. In the years following Petty's death, there have been several shark-related fatalities in the Bahamas. Notably, a tourist died in December 2023 when she was bitten by a shark while paddleboarding.

Wikipedia
Between 1958 and 2016 there were 2,785 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks around the world, of which 439 were fatal. Between 2001 and 2010, an average of 4.3 people per year died from shark attacks.

The 2016 yearly total of 81 shark attacks worldwide was on par with the most recent five-year (2011–2015) average of 82 incidents annually. By contrast, the 98 shark attacks in 2015 was the highest yearly total on record. There were four fatalities worldwide in 2016, which is lower than the average of eight fatalities per year worldwide in the 2011–2015 period and six deaths per annum over the past decade. In 2016, 58% of attacks were on surfers.

Despite these reports, however, the actual number of fatal shark attacks worldwide remains uncertain. In most Third World coastal nations, no method of reporting suspected shark attacks exists.

On average, there are 16 shark attacks per year in the United States, with one fatality every two years. According to the ISAF, the US states in which the most attacks have occurred are Florida, Hawaii, California, Texas and the Carolinas, though attacks have occurred in almost every coastal state.

Australia has the highest number of fatal shark attacks in the world, with Western Australia recently becoming the deadliest place in the world for shark attacks with total and fatal shark bites growing exponentially over the last 40 years. Since 2000, there have been 17 fatal shark attacks along the West Australian coast, with divers now facing odds of one in 16,000 for a fatal shark bite.

Other shark attack hotspots include Réunion Island, Boa Viagem in Brazil, Makena Beach in Maui, Hawaii, and Second Beach, Port St. Johns, South Africa. South Africa has a high number of shark attacks along with a high fatality rate of 27 percent.

The place with the most recorded shark attacks is New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Developed nations such as the United States, Australia and, to some extent, South Africa, facilitate more thorough documentation of shark attacks on humans than developing coastal nations. The increased use of technology has enabled Australia and the United States to record more data than other nations, which could somewhat bias the results.

The Florida Museum of Natural History compares these statistics with the much higher rate of deaths from other causes. For example, an average of more than 38 people die annually from lightning strikes in coastal states, while less than 1 person per year is killed by a shark in Florida. In the United States, the likelihood that a person who goes to beaches will be attacked by a shark is 1 in 11.5 million, and a person's chance of getting killed by a shark is less than 1 in 264.1 million.

However, in certain situations the risk of a shark attack is higher. For example, in the southwest of Western Australia the chances of a surfer being fatally bitten by a shark in winter or spring are 1 in 40,000 and for divers it is 1 in 16,000. In comparison to the risk of a serious or fatal cycling accident, this represents three times the risk for a surfer and seven times the risk for a diver.