FAQ
Common questions
How many shark bites happen at New Smyrna Beach each year?
The published figures are county-wide: Volusia County typically records between six and seventeen unprovoked bites per year, a long-run average of about ten. Most — but not all — of those happen at New Smyrna Beach; the rest are at Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores, Daytona Beach or Ormond Beach. Neither Beach Safety nor the International Shark Attack File publishes a town-by-town breakdown every year, which is why this site shows the New Smyrna Beach count and the county count side by side rather than blending them.
Has anyone ever died from a shark bite at New Smyrna Beach?
No. Despite leading the world in bite counts, New Smyrna Beach has no recorded shark bite fatality. Nearly all injuries are single lacerations to a hand, foot or lower leg.
Why does New Smyrna Beach have so many shark bites?
Ponce de Leon Inlet flushes bait fish along a shallow sandbar, small blacktip and spinner sharks follow that bait, visibility is often only inches, and thousands of surfers use the same water every day. Bites are cases of mistaken identity in murky water, not attacks.
What time of year are shark bites most common?
Late summer through early fall, when water temperature peaks, the bait run is heaviest and crowds are largest. Bites also cluster at dawn and dusk and after heavy rain.
What kind of shark bites people at New Smyrna Beach?
Almost always a blacktip or spinner shark, both usually four to six feet long. Bull sharks are present in the area but are rarely linked to surf-zone bites here.
Is it safe to surf at New Smyrna Beach?
Statistically, yes. Millions of people enter this water each year against roughly ten minor bites. The practical risks locals plan around are rip currents and sun, not sharks.
Is New Smyrna Beach really the shark bite capital of the world?
Yes, by raw count of unprovoked bites — though the record that earns the title is kept for Volusia County as a whole, and the great majority of those bites occur in the surf beside Ponce Inlet at New Smyrna Beach. The title reflects the density of people and small sharks sharing murky water, not unusual aggression or danger.