Honestly, the headlines lately make it feel like you can’t even dip a toe in the water without a dorsal fin appearing. It’s been a heavy start to 2026. On January 8, a 56-year-old woman named Arlene Lillis was killed while snorkeling off Dorsch Beach in St. Croix. She’d just arrived from Minnesota to escape the winter. She was in the water at 4:30 p.m., a time when the light starts to shift and predators often get active. Two guys—a nurse named Christopher Carroll and a lineman named Ryan Connot—ran into the water to pull her out after hearing what they described as "ungodly screaming." They were incredibly brave, but the injuries were just too much.
Then you have California.
The Golden State just wrapped up a record-breaking 2025 with 10 shark-related incidents. That is the highest number ever recorded in a single year for California. Just days ago, on January 13, 2026, a 26-year-old surfer named Tim Civik was launched into the air at the Gualala River mouth in Mendocino County. A shark—likely a great white—snapped his board clean in half and bit his thigh. He survived, but his board looked like it had been through a woodchipper.
When you see "shark attacks in the news" every other day, it's easy to think the ocean has become a war zone. But is it actually getting more dangerous, or are we just seeing more of it because everyone has a 4K camera in their pocket?
The 2025 Global Numbers Tell a Different Story
If you look at the raw data from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) and resources like Tracking Sharks, the numbers for last year aren't actually "exploding" in the way social media might suggest.
- Total Bites: 68 verified bites worldwide in 2025.
- Fatalities: 11 people died.
- The US Leaderboard: 28 bites happened in American waters.
- Florida's Dominance: 15 of those 28 US bites were in Florida, though none were fatal.
The 11 fatalities globally is a bit higher than the usual average of about five or six, which is why things feel so tense right now. Australia, as usual, had the highest "kill rate" with 5 deaths out of 15 encounters. That’s a one-in-three chance of the interaction being lethal in Aussie waters, compared to the US where 27 out of 28 people walked away.
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Why the difference? It’s basically down to the species. In Florida, you’re usually getting nipped by a blacktip or a lemon shark that realizes its mistake and lets go. In Australia or Northern California, you’re dealing with Great Whites or Bull Sharks. Those are apex predators. One "test bite" from a 15-foot White Shark isn't a nip; it’s a catastrophic medical emergency.
Why Does It Feel Like It’s Getting Worse?
It’s math, mostly.
More people are in the water than ever before. We have better wetsuits that let us stay in cold water longer. We have more people living in coastal counties—nearly 30% of the US population now. When you put millions of people in the "living room" of an apex predator, interactions are going to happen.
There's also the "phone factor."
A decade ago, a shark sighting at a beach might make the local evening news. Today, ten different people film it on their iPhones, upload it to TikTok, and by noon, five million people have seen a shark swimming near a buoy. It creates a "frequency illusion." You see it more, so you think it's happening more.
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Peter Tira from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife noted that while 2025 had the highest number of incidents, it only had three incidents with actual injuries. Most "shark attacks in the news" in California were actually just sharks bumping surfboards or biting kayaks. In 1974, there were seven confirmed injuries. By that metric, 1974 was actually "more dangerous" than last year, despite having fewer total headlines.
The Misconception of the "Rogue" Shark
We love the Jaws narrative. The idea that there is one "killer shark" out there patrolling a specific beach waiting for humans. Science just doesn't back that up.
Dr. Catherine MacDonald from the University of Miami points out that if we were actually on the menu, there would be thousands of deaths a day. Sharks are curious. They don't have hands, so they explore the world with their mouths. In murky water, a splashing foot looks a lot like a struggling fish.
Also, the water is warming. Estuaries are warming nearly seven times faster than the open ocean. This is pushing baitfish into new areas, and the sharks are just following the food. We’re seeing more sightings in places like Maine and the Jersey Shore because the "buffet" is moving north.
How to Actually Stay Safe (Based on the Data)
If you’re worried about shark attacks in the news, you don't have to stay out of the water. You just have to be smarter than the average tourist.
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- Avoid "The Magic Hour": Dawn and dusk are prime hunting times. The light is low, and sharks have the tactical advantage. Arlene Lillis was attacked at 4:30 p.m.—right as the sun was beginning its descent.
- Ditch the Bling: Sharks have incredible vision for contrast and reflection. If you’re wearing a silver watch or a shiny necklace, you look like a shimmering baitfish.
- Stay Away from the "Dinner Table": If you see birds diving or seals congregating, get out. You’re literally standing in the middle of a food chain.
- Don't Bleed Out: This sounds obvious, but the most common cause of death in a shark encounter isn't the bite itself; it's blood loss. If you’re a frequent surfer, carrying a simple tourniquet in your car or even on your board can be the difference between a "cool story" and a tragedy.
The reality is that you are still more likely to die from a lightning strike or even a collapsing sand hole on the beach than a shark. But those things don't make for good cinema.
Next Steps for Ocean Lovers
If you want to keep track of where activity is actually happening without the media hype, check out the Dorsal Shark Reports app or the Global Shark Attack File website. They provide raw, un-sensationalized data.
Before your next beach trip, take ten minutes to look up the local "shark smart" guidelines for that specific region. Each coast is different. What works in the Gulf of Mexico (where you're mostly avoiding small, nippy sharks) is different from what you need to do in South Africa or Western Australia.
Stay informed, stay alert, but don't let the headlines keep you on the sand.