Shark Attacks in South Africa: Statistics & History | Shark Data Lab
Shark Attacks in South Africa
The Global Shark Attack File records 600 shark attacks in South Africa between 1852 and 2025. Of those, 111 were fatal (18.5%). The species most often involved is the white shark.
How many shark attacks have been recorded in South Africa?▾
The Global Shark Attack File records 600 shark attacks in South Africa, of which 111 were fatal.
What is the shark attack fatality rate in South Africa?▾
18.5% of recorded shark attacks in South Africa are fatal, compared with a global average of 21.1%.
Which shark species are most often involved in attacks in South Africa?▾
Based on incident records, the species most frequently identified in South Africa attacks are White Shark, Bull Shark, Tiger Shark.
What activities are most associated with shark attacks in South Africa?▾
Surfing accounts for the largest share of recorded incidents in South Africa, with 100 cases logged.
Where does this shark attack data come from?▾
All figures are derived from the Global Shark Attack File (GSAF), a non-profit database of shark-human incident records. Shark Data Lab cleans, geocodes, and aggregates the GSAF dataset for analysis.
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