Daunting truth about Australia’s coastline

A daunting new interactive map has exposed some uncomfortable truths, but it has come with a warning to not be discouraged.

The launch of a new interactive map has highlighted a grim reality facing Australians, with data collected in the last 50 years revealing details of the scary dangers lurking underwater.

US-based company Florida Panhandle profiled and categorised every global shark attack – fatal and non-fatal – in the past 47 years, and has compiled the data into one chilling interactive world map.

The company determined which shark was responsible for the most fatal attacks, what time of day was most risky, and where exactly every attack had taken place.

On the map, a lengthy strip running up Australia’s eastern coastline was dotted with fins indicating both fatal and non-fatal attacks, with a hotspot of fatal attacks apparent around the NSW and Queensland border.

A long strip of shark attacks up the east coast has been documented on the map. Picture: floridapanhandle

Most recently for that region was in 2020 when a surfer died after being bitten by a Great White Shark near Kingscliff.

The same year, a spearfisherman died after an unknown species attacked near Fraser Island, with a researcher also being taken in 2020 further north at North West Island.

The most recent fatal attack in Australian waters was just last month when 46-year-old teacher Simon Baccanello was mauled by a shark while surfing at Walkers Rock, near Elliston in South Australia as witnesses watched on. He was unable to be located in the water after the attack, with SA Police believing him to be dead. His death has yet to feature on the map.

The most recent attack on the map was from February when 16-year-old Stella Berry was attacked by a bull shark in Perth’s Swan River while jetskiing with friends.

Prior to that, swimmer Simon Nellist died in Sydney in February last year in a Great White Shark attack.

In November 2021, Paul Millachip was also killed by a Great White while swimming at Port Beach near Perth, with the species behind another surfer’s death in September north of Coffs Harbour in NSW.

Multiple people have lost their lives to shark attacks in Queensland. Picture: floridapanhandle

In Broome, Western Australia, earlier that year a tiger shark killed a man at the town’s famous Cable Beach.

On the NSW Mid North Coast in Forster, a man was killed in May 2021 by an unknown species while surfing.

More than 1200 shark attacks have taken place globally in the last 47 years and most commonly in the afternoon, with most attacks being unprovoked.

Despite the daunting facts, Florida Panhandle founder David Angotti said the map would help ease fears surrounding sharks rather than exacerbate them.

Western Australia was another hotspot for shark attacks. Picture: floridapanhandle

South Australia has more fatal than non-fatal shark attacks. Picture: floridapanhandle

“During our research, we learned that in a typical year less than ten humans are killed by sharks. Contrast that with the astronomical figure of 100 million sharks killed by humans,” Mr Angotti said.

“We believe that this educational shark attack statistics interactive will help the general public realise that shark attacks are incredibly rare and normally survivable. Based on the data, we should not fear the sharks – rather, we should protect them.”

He added that people should be comforted by the extreme unlikelihood of being killed by a shark.

“When you look at the aggregated data, it is quickly apparent that the chances of being attacked by a shark are nearly zero,” he said.