Shark Incident Database
Browse reviewed shark-human incident records by date, location, activity, outcome, species confidence and verification status. The historical `/attacks/` URL is retained for continuity with the earlier site, but the database uses the broader term incident because not every record is an unprovoked bite.
Every public record is tied to at least one credible source. Developing reports remain clearly labeled, approximate locations stay approximate, and species are not inferred simply because a shark is common in that area.
Browse incidents
Use filters for:
- date range and year;
- country;
- state, province or normalized region;
- activity;
- incident classification;
- outcome;
- shark species;
- species confidence;
- verification status.
What the classifications mean
Unprovoked describes an interaction in which available evidence does not show that the person first handled, captured, fed or deliberately interfered with the shark.
Provoked covers circumstances such as handling or landing a shark, some fishing interactions, feeding, or deliberate physical contact.
Watercraft covers shark interactions with boats, kayaks and other vessels that are not automatically human bite incidents.
Questionable is used when shark involvement itself remains uncertain.
Other and unknown classifications remain available where the evidence does not justify a more precise label.
Data limitations
This database is not a complete census of every shark-human interaction that has ever occurred. Older events are especially affected by uneven newspaper coverage, incomplete records, geographic bias and uncertain species identification.
Counts shown on the site describe the records currently supported by the reviewed dataset. They should not be converted into a personal “danger score” without a defensible exposure denominator.
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