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Monterey Today
By the People, for the People
Shark Attacks Returned to Normal Levels in 2025
California saw the only fatal shark attack in the U.S. last year, highlighting the risks of the state's deeper, colder waters.
Published on Feb. 24, 2026
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Shark attacks worldwide returned to near-average levels in 2025 after a dip the previous year, according to the latest report from the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. The United States once again had the highest number of reported incidents, with California recording the nation's only unprovoked fatal shark attack that year.
Why it matters
While shark attacks remain extremely rare, the data highlights the unique risks faced by swimmers and ocean enthusiasts in California, where larger, more dangerous shark species like the great white inhabit the deeper, colder waters off the coast.
The details
Researchers recorded 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide in 2025, slightly below the 10-year average of 72, but an increase from 2024. Nine of those bites were fatal, higher than the 10-year average of six fatalities. The U.S. accounted for 38% of global unprovoked bites, down from over 50% the previous year. In 2025, Florida led all states with 11 recorded attacks, while California, Hawaii, Texas and North Carolina accounted for the remaining U.S. incidents. However, California stood out as the site of the nation's only unprovoked fatal shark attack, when a 55-year-old triathlete was killed by a white shark off the coast of Monterey Bay.
- In 2025, there were 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide.
- The U.S. accounted for 38% of global unprovoked bites in 2025.
- Florida led all states with 11 recorded shark attacks in 2025.
- California recorded the nation's only unprovoked fatal shark attack in 2025.
The players
Steve Midway
An associate professor of fisheries at Louisiana State University.
Gavin Naylor
The director of the Florida Program for Shark Research.
What they’re saying
“In California, you tend to have year-to-year fewer attacks than other places in the U.S. and in the world. But you tend to have more serious attacks, a higher proportion of fatal attacks.”
— Steve Midway, Associate Professor of Fisheries (latimes.com)
“The global patterns change only slightly from one year to the other.”
— Gavin Naylor, Director, Florida Program for Shark Research (latimes.com)
What’s next
The report notes that drowning is a far more common cause of death worldwide than shark attacks, and that you are much more likely to be killed by lightning than by a shark.
The takeaway
While shark attacks remain extremely rare, the data highlights the unique risks faced by swimmers and ocean enthusiasts in California, where larger, more dangerous shark species like the great white inhabit the deeper, colder waters off the coast.
