Florida had one fatal shark attack last year. A man was killed by a bull shark when he dove into shallow water behind his dock near St. Petersburg. Of 375 shark species, fewer than 10 are considered dangerous to humans. Contrary to myth, sharks are not man-eaters. They may mistake humans for food, or attack if they are defending their territories.
Most shark attacks occur in shallow water or at the surface offshore.
About 70 percent of human victims survive shark bites. In the United States, your chances of being killed by lightning are 30 times greater than being attacked by a shark. Bites or stings from bees, wasps and snakes kill more people each year than do sharks. Most dangerous No, not the lawyers. More fearsome are the tiger, bull, hammerhead and the great white shark.