Updated: world’s most dangerous beaches (shark edition)
Just in time for summer, Forbes has released a list of the most dangerous beaches in the world. Alas, it’s already in desperate need of an update, as any resident of San Diego knows by now.
The beaches of Southern California, you’ll recall, were the site of several prominent Great White attacks in recent days. The latest involved a retired veterinarian and triathelete, David Martin, near Solano Beach. He was bitten in the legs in what was believed to be the first Great White attack in San Diego county since 1994.
A little further down the coast from San Diego, Adrian Ruiz — a 24 year old San Francisco resident — was surfing just off the Pacific coast of Mexico near Aculpulco when he, too, was bitten by a shark and later bled to death while receiving medical attention.
Residents of Florida will be pleased by this. Their state was the overwhelming winner — or should we say, loser? — in the Forbes list.
- Shark Attacks/Bites - New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Fla
The were 112 incidents of shark-human “contact” in 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File released in March but only one resulted in a human fatality. New Smyrna, an inlet on the eastern coastline of Florida, had the most attacks, with 17 bites recorded. - Pollution - Hacks Point Beach, Kent County, Md./Beachwood Beach West, Ocean County, N.J.
According to the National Research Defense Council, an environmental action group, these two beaches had the highest percentage of samples exceeding U.S. health standards in 2006. - Jellyfish Attacks - Northern Australia
The coast of Northern Australia serves as a home to chironex fleckeri, also known as the box jellyfish, which has caused 60 deaths in the last 100 years, according the Center for Disease Control, Australia. While fatalities are rare, about 40 people are hospitalized each year in the Northern Territory. Last year, a 6-year-old boy died in the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin. - Lightning - Florida
Florida tops off the list as the most dangerous spot for lightning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between 1997 and 2006, there were 71 deaths caused by lightning in Florida, more than any other state. Popular beaches such as New Smyrna and Clearwater are often evacuated and then closed for days because of the threat of lightning. - Boating Accidents - Florida
Data by county or beach is not available, but according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division, the state of Florida reported 633 boating accidents and 68 fatalities in 2006, the highest number of any state in the country with more people actively involved in boating in Florida. - Rip Current Drowning - Brevard County, Florida
In 2007, 10 people drowned in Brevard County due to the rip current alone, according to the United States Life Saving Association.
What does this list mean? Not much, actually. It appears to be a completely unscientific compilation of anecdotes and a shameless attempt to generate traffic. We applaud that. But we should add that you’re more likely to be killed by the sun than by sharks, jellyfish or pollution this summer.
A blog posting on the dangers of solar radiation? Yawn.
Anyone want to go camping?
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