Shark Incident Classifications

Shark-human incidents occur in different circumstances, and combining all of them into one “attack” total can be misleading.

This section separates unprovoked, provoked, watercraft, air/sea-disaster, questionable, other and unknown records. The classification describes the circumstances supported by the available evidence; it does not claim to know a shark’s intention.

Classification is separate from verification. For example, a new report may appear to describe an unprovoked bite while remaining in Reported status until additional evidence is available.

For detailed definitions and examples, link prominently to the full classification guide and methodology.

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