Even then, the tally was only one behind the 80 attacks listed for 2000.
The 2010 figure is a fair leap on the previous year’s figure of 63 attacks, which reflected the average for the past ten years of 63.5.
Thankfully, however, the increase in attacks was not mirrored by a corresponding increase in fatalities. The number of people who died as a result of attacks in 2010 was, at six, only slightly above average.
The stats are compiled annually by the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. For 2010 it reported that the USA came top for attacks at 36, followed by Australia (14), South Africa (8), Vietnam (6) and Egypt (6).
The position of Egypt at fifth in the table was down to the well publicised sequence of five attacks, one fatal, which occurred off Sharm el Sheikh within the space of five days in December. Four of the attacks were attributed to two individual sharks.
“This was a situation that was hugely unusual by shark attack standards,” said ichthyologist George Burgess, Director of the Shark Attack File.
Burgess, who has researched sharks at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus for 35 years, flew to Egypt to help analyse the incidents. “It was probably the most unusual shark incident of my career,” he said.
The 2010 figures listed surfers as the most attacked group at 51 per cent, followed by swimmers and waders at 38 per cent.
Scuba divers are relatively safe, as the submerged human is regarded more as another healthy large creature than as potential prey.
View the 2010 Worldwide Shark Attack Summary online at www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/isaf/isaf.htm
Related links
Sharm el Sheikh - attacks investigation
Sharm el Sheikh - fatal attack
Sharm el Sheikh - non-fatal attacks
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