What Could Have Led To Double Shark Attack?

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Recent shark attacks in Florida are a stark reminder that the ocean can be a dangerous place.

Y​et, the risk for shark bites remains very low.

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"​It is extremely uncommon and it's very, very rarely fatal," C​hris Stallings, a fish ecologist and associate professor at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science told weather.com in December.

S​hark Attacks By The Numbers

Three people were injured in two shark attacks near each other in the Florida Panhandle Saturday. Both incidents happened on Gulf of Mexico beaches in Walton County. Two of the three victims lost limbs and one had minor foot injuries.

Data going back to 1882 and tracked by the International Shark Attack File shows Florida is the long-time leader in shark bites. Still, in all that time, there were less than 1,000 confirmed unprovoked shark bites statewide. Before Saturday, there had only ever been one unprovoked shark bite reported in Walton County.

Of 36 unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S. last year, 16 were in Florida. Two people died - one in Hawaii and one in California. By contrast, 91 people died in rip currents on U.S. beaches last year.

Worldwide, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks and 10 fatalities last year.

U​nprovoked shark bites are ones that happen in a shark's natural habitat versus people who are bit while fishing, while trying to feed sharks or in situations where they are touching or harassing sharks.

S​tallings pointed out that there are much bigger animal-related threats to humans.

"Far more people die of mosquito-borne diseases every year than shark attacks," he said.

Data from the World Health Organization backs that up: More than 600,000 people around the world died in 2022 from malaria transmitted by mosquitoes.

Shark Behavior May Be Changing

G​lobally, shark bites are on the decline, making an already unlikely event even more so.

"I think it's important to understand that a lot of times the shark is mistaking a person for something else and they go up and they have a bite and they realize it's not the thing that they thought it was," Stallings said.

T​here's also evidence that shark behavior may be changing. Scientists say an uptick in shark attacks along parts of the U.S. East Coast - in particular eight in New York in 2022 - could be connected to warmer ocean water due to climate change.

"One potential reason would be, changes in the distribution of the prey that the sharks are going after and if the prey are coming into areas where people are more likely to be, then you have sharks and people in the same place at the same time," Stallings said.

Schools of bait fish traveling close to shore this time of year may have attracted the sharks in Walton County, according to neighboring Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford.

How To Avoid Shark Encounters And Shark Bites

-Swim with or near a group of people, and only where lifeguards are present.

-Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage.

-Do not enter the water if bleeding from a wound, or if people around you are spearfishing or engaging in other types of fishing that could put blood in the water.

-Be especially careful in areas between sandbars or near steep dropoffs, both of which are favorite shark hangouts.

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Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.