At a Glance

Worldwide, there were 57 documented, unprovoked shark attacks in 2022.More people in the U.S. were killed by rip currents.Experts say shark behavior could be changing.

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A​ fatal shark attack in the Bahamas Monday is a stark reminder that the ocean can be a dangerous place.

Y​et, the risk for shark bites remains very low.

"​It is extremely uncommon and it's very, very rarely fatal," , a fish ecologist and associate professor at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science told us.

S​hark Bites By The Numbers

The woman was a tourist from Boston. She was the third person to die as a result of a shark attack in the Bahamas in the past 15 months.

​But data going back to 1580 and tracked by the International Shark Attack File shows only confirmed, unprovoked shark attacks in the Bahamas in total in that entire time period.

There were and five fatalities worldwide last year. Forty one of the attacks, including one death, happened in the United States. ​By contrast, 69 people died in rip currents at U.S. beaches last year.

S​tallings points out that there are much bigger animal-related threats to humans.

"Far more people die of mosquito-borne diseases every year than shark attacks," he said.

More than around the world died in 2021 of malaria transmitted by mosquitoes , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shark Behavior May Be Changing

G​lobally, shark bites are on the decline, making an already unlikely event even more so.

"I think it's important to understand that a lot of times the shark is mistaking a person for something else and they go up and they have a bite and they realize it's not the thing that they thought it was," Stallings said.

T​here's also evidence that shark behavior may be . Scientists say an uptick in shark attacks along parts of the U.S. East Coast - in particular eight in New York last year - could be connected to due to climate change.

"One potential reason would be, changes in the distribution of the prey that the sharks are going after and if the prey are coming into areas where people are more likely to be, then you have sharks and people in the same place at the same time," Stallings said.

How To Avoid Shark Encounters And Shark Bites

-Swim with or near a group of people, and only where lifeguards are present.

-Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage.

-Do not enter the water if bleeding from a wound, or if people around you are spearfishing or engaging in other types of fishing that could put blood in the water.

-Be especially careful in areas between sandbars or near steep dropoffs, both of which are favorite shark hangouts.

-​Avoid areas where people are fishing.

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