Off the coast of California, just north of San Francisco, beyond the Farallon Islands and down to the Big Sur region, lies a triangle-shaped region that houses 11 percent of great white shark attacks on humans in the world.
Owing to its large population of marine mammals like elephant seals, harbor seals, sea otters and sea lions, great white sharks often frequent the area. When you take that fact along with the amount of people attracted to the beaches of the heavily populated San Francisco Bay Area, you get trouble. A staggering 38% of recorded great white shark attacks on humans have occurred in these waters.
Volusia County, Florida
Just off the east-central part of Florida lies a county that has seen 267 shark attacks since 1982. Luckily, none resulted in death, but still, not pleasant.
In 2017, the county led the world in shark attacks and 19 bites were reported here alone. Another reason to steer clear? You have a greater chance of being struck by lightning here.
The Island of Reunion, Indian Ocean
This French island in the Indian Ocean is known for its volcanic beaches with coral reefs and rainforests. It is also known for its gruesome number of shark attacks. Since 2011, there have been 23 shark attacks, seven of them being fatal.
There have been bans on swimming, surfing, and bodyboarding at varying times. It’s a shame as the beaches here are truly something.
Beaches of the Amazon, Brazil
The water here lurks with piranha, electric eels and anacondas.
Not really the best place to float on your back and bask in the sun.
Shenzhen, China
When you think of causes of deaths at the beach this one probably doesn’t come to your mind. Overcrowding at the Chinese beach leads to drowning, contributing to the number one cause of death in children between 1-14 in China.
Shenzhen is a big city in Guangdong Province in China, located north of Hong Kong.