Australia is the second worst place in the world for shark attacks - but it’s still has nowhere near as many as America
- Australia is among the world's top shark attack hotspots but it's not the worst
- The International Shark Attack File found the US has the most reported attacks
- There were 20 unprovoked shark attacks that occurred in Australia last year
- Other hotspots included South Africa, Egypt, Brazil, New Zealand and Thailand
Australia remains one of the world's top shark attack hotspots with 20 unprovoked incidents last year - but it's not the worst.
The annual International Shark Attack File found the US was the nation that reported the most shark attacks on humans in 2018 with 32 confirmed cases and one fatality.
Despite having the most reported number of attacks in 2018, the report found overall attacks in the US were markedly lower than the 53 incidents in 2017.
Australia remains one of the world's top shark attack hotspots with 20 unprovoked incidents last year - but it's not the worst
The report also showed half of the 2018 US attacks occurred in Florida.
Australia had 20 unprovoked shark attacks last year, which was slightly higher than the recent five-year annual average of 14.
There was one fatality, which fell below Australia's average of two fatal incidents annually.
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Aspiring young doctor Daniel Christidis, 33, was mauled to death in a shark attack during a sailing trip around the Whitsunday islands last November.
The trainee urologist from Melbourne's Austin Hospital had jumped into the water from a stand-up paddle board he was sharing with a woman when the shark struck.
The attack came less than two months after two tourists were attacked in the same body of water within 24 hours of each other, resulting in the culling of six sharks.
Aspiring young doctor Daniel Christidis (pictured), 33, was mauled to death in a shark attack during a sailing trip around the Whitsunday islands last November
The trainee urologist from Melbourne's Austin Hospital was mauled by a shark when he jumped into the water near the Whitsunday islands (pictured) from a stand-up paddle board
In total, there were nine unprovoked attacks in New South Wales, eight in Western Australia, two in Queensland (one fatal) and one in Victoria.
South Africa also recorded two non-fatal attacks in 2018, significantly lower than its annual average of four and one fatality. However, four remaining unclassified attacks from the nation are still under investigation.
Egypt and Brazil had three shark attacks and the Bahama Islands, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Thailand had one each.
The 2018 worldwide total of 66 confirmed, unprovoked cases was lower than the most recent five-year average of 84 incidents annually.
The International Shark Attack File is compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the American Elasmobranch Society.
