Conditions
When bites happen
Shark bites at New Smyrna Beach are not random. They cluster in warm months, murky water and low light, in a narrow stretch of surf beside Ponce Inlet. This page tracks the pattern the record keeps repeating.
0
New Smyrna Beach — 2026
Volusia County: 5
9.7
Average per year
Volusia County
2021
Peak year
17 bites
The season
- January – MarchLowCold water, thin bait, few surfers. Bites are rare.
- April – MayRisingWater warms past 70°F, mullet return, spring break crowds arrive.
- June – AugustPeakMost bites in the record land here — warm murky water and packed lineups.
- September – OctoberHighThe mullet run pushes bait and predators tight to the beach.
- November – DecemberFallingBait leaves, water clears, the count drops back toward zero.
What moves the odds
Time of day
Dawn and the last two hours of daylight are the classic windows. Blacktips hunt in low light, and low light is exactly when a hand or foot stops looking like a hand or foot.
Water clarity
New Smyrna's surf is stirred by the inlet and stained by runoff. After heavy rain or a strong onshore blow, visibility drops to inches and mistaken-identity bites go up.
Tide and the inlet
An outgoing tide flushes bait out of Ponce Inlet into the lineup at the north end. The closer you paddle to the jetty, the more of that traffic you sit in.
Bait activity
Diving birds, nervous water and flipping mullet are the most reliable warning any surfer gets. When the bait shows up, move down the beach.