Why are there so many shark attacks these days? I get it that we are exposed to a lot more news now

[raccoon]

than when I was a young person. But it still seems to me that they are far more frequent now.

Maybe there's a lot more people going to the beach now than in the 60's-70's?

I know with the gator attacks, the problem is that humans have built up so much in the gators' habitats.

[Lovie777]

1. Cocaine sharks......................

off of Florida.

Could be that mankind is steadily poisoning the oceans.

[leftyladyfrommo]

2. And the orcas are attacking boats. The sea is turning hostile. nt

[marble falls]

6. It's a very specific pod of Orcas, for a very specific reason, being taught by on Orca after an ...

... unfortunate encounter with a sailboat.

[zuul]

3. The heat is driving them crazy.

[Effete Snob]

4. Assessing frequency by subjective impressions is a poor method

There’s not been a significant trend.

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/trends/location/usa/

[marble falls]

5. News attracts sharks? Did not know that.

[hack89]

7. The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act

Seal population exploded. More food more sharks. There are an estimated 400 Great Whites living year round in Cape Cod alone.

[edhopper]

8. That is part of the gator problem

a big part no doubt. But when I was a wee lad in Florida there were far fewer gators. The endangered species act help bring them back from the brink. Now more gators, more people living in their home.

[raccoon]

11. Yeah, you're right about the endangered species act.

[pecosbob]

9. More people in the water would be my guess if the statistics do indeed indicate a rise in attacks

There are a lot more auto accidents than when I was a boy in the sixties...are cars more dangerous? No. There were less than one hundred million cars on the road when I was a boy...now there are three hundred million.

[allegorical oracle]

10. It's shark season in the warmer months...

July is mating season for some species. There may be more bait fish available in these warmer months, which can draw sharks closer to shorelines (nearer to people). Warmer water generally attracts sharks. And, as you said, the hotter temps are drawing more people to the beach.

People also contribute -- Don't wear shiny objects (jewelry) into the water and/or splash around -- both lead sharks to believe there's silvery bait fish nearby and the splashing signals a feeding frenzy is underway. Anyone who is bleeding should avoid going in the water. Swimmers should avoid fishing piers. There's always a lot of bait dropped around piers, which attracts sharks. Never believe you're safe if you wade only up the waist. Blacktip and bull sharks have been known to strike in that depth of water.

Sharks aren't prone to attacking people and it's still relatively rare. It's just wise to know that any time you're at a beach, there's likely a shark in the vicinity.