Recent spike in shark attacks explained
Shark experts have a not-so-reassuring explanation for a recent spate of attacks along on the US coast of the Carolinas: It's mainly because so many people are getting in the water.
Six shark attacks were recorded in June in North Carolina waters, and the two most recent victims had to be flown to a hospital in Virginia for treatment.
That's more than North Carolina has recorded in any single year dating back to 2000.
But it's all a matter of perspective, said George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research.
There were 28 attacks reported in Florida in 2014. So far this year, there have been 11 shark attacks there, with eight of those in neighbouring Brevard and Volusia counties. Volusia is home to Daytona Beach, which is often packed with tourists.
"Obviously that's a much smaller area than the area of North Carolina that's been affected, from the southern border up to Cape Hatteras," Burgess said.
Americans made 2.2 billion visits to beaches in 2010, up from 2 billion in 2001, according to a US Army Corps of Engineers estimate.
"We're basically flooding them out of their own home. It's a function of how many people we've got," Burgess said.
"You get this unholy mix of bait fish, sharks and humans together. When you have that, you're going to have some bites."
