Are there sharks in Delaware waters? Yes, here's what you need to know
"Jaws" was nightmare fuel for people who enjoyed going to the beach but wondered if the apex predator was lurking in the blue void.
Fast forward 50 years, and sharks are still roaming the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean. However, there isn't much of a reason to fear going in the water.
How many shark attacks have happened in Delaware?
Since 1837, there have been five shark attacks in Delaware waters, according to the database at the University of Florida. The biggest period for shark attacks was in the 1960s when two were reported in Delaware.
The last two attacks were a 14-year-old boy who was hospitalized after a shark bite at Cape Henlopen State Park in June 2020, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal story from 2021. That bite was likely from a sandbar shark, a state expert said. In 2014, another teen was bitten by a shark, also at Cape Henlopen State Park.
How many sharks are in Delaware?
According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, as many as 62 species of sharks can be found in the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay and inland bays. Included in the 62 is the great white shark. The great white, which has terrorized people ever since the movie "Jaws" was released in 1975, is the least common species found in Delaware waters.
What are the most common sharks in Delaware?
Sandbar shark
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the sandbar shark, also known as a brown or thickskin shark, can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds. The sandbar is among the largest sharks found in coastal waters. They live in shallow coastal waters and can be found on the East Coast from Cape Cod to Florida.
Dogfish shark
There are two varieties of the dogfish shark – smooth and spiny. Spiny dogfish can grow up to 4 feet and have two dorsal fins with ungrooved large spines. Smooth dogfish sharks can grow to 5 feet. They live in shallow bays, continental shelves and near offshore banks.
Sand tiger
According to Oceana, the sand tiger shark lives near the seafloor in surf zones, shallow bays and coral and rocky reefs. They can grow to more than 10 feet and weigh 350 pounds. The sand tiger shark is the only shark known to maintain neutral buoyancy by gulping air at the water's surface and holding it in its stomach. This allows the sand tiger shark to hover motionless in the water.
Atlantic mako shark
According to Oceana, the Atlantic mako shark lives in the open ocean and reaches lengths of 12 feet and weights at least 1,200 pounds. It is one of the fastest fish on the planet, swimming at speeds around 45 mph. These sharks are caught commercially or accidentally in fisheries. These sharks are valued for the high quality of their fins and meat.
Hitting the beach: Are Delaware beaches safe for swimmers? Here's what the numbers say
How to avoid sharks
Again, once you enter the ocean or Delaware Bay, you are in their world. So here are a few tips from the DNREC and the County of Maui, Hawaii:
Swim at lifeguard-monitored beaches, and follow their advice and any posted warning signs.
Always swim in a group.
Don't stray too far from the shore.
Swim in water where you can see your feet.
Avoid the water at dawn, dusk and at night.
Don't enter the water if you have any open wounds or are bleeding in any way.
Don't wear shiny objects in the water.
Leave the water quickly and calmly if a shark is sighted; if you see a shark, alert lifeguards or other swimmers immediately.
SHARK WEEK: Learn about the TV event and its copycats
If you watch
What: Discovery Channel's Shark Week
When: Through July 26, starting at 8 each night
Where: Airs on the Discovery Channel and streams on Discovery+ and HBO Max
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Which sharks are in Delaware waters. How to stay safe
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
31 minutes ago
- CNN
A smartwatch led rescuers to a fatal plane crash in Montana woods
The dense forests near West Yellowstone, Montana, concealed the wreckage of a small plane until an unlikely beacon — a smartwatch worn by one of the victims — helped search-and-rescue crews locate the crash site, officials said Monday. Responding crews found all three people aboard the aircraft dead, the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The victims were Rodney Conover, 60, and Madison Conover, 23, both of Tennessee, and Kurt Enoch Robey, 55, of Utah, according to the office. The plane departed from West Yellowstone Airport on Thursday, just before midnight, but never reached its destination, the sheriff's office said. On Friday afternoon, West Yellowstone Dispatch received a call from the US Department of Tranportation's Aero Division alerting local authorities that the aircraft's location was unknown. Minutes later, two planes were sent to search for the missing aircraft and, guided by location data from a smartwatch worn by one of the passengers, found the crash site just south of the town of West Yellowstone, the sheriff's office said. The search planes spotted the wreckage from air, describing it as 'crashed in dense timber,' the office said. Ground crews navigated the rugged wilderness to reach the site. Responders confirmed all three occupants had died. Their remains were airlifted and turned over to the county coroner. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash. CNN has reached out to both agencies for comment. Weather in the area at the time included gusty winds and chilly overnight temperatures. Sheriff Dan Springer extended his 'deepest condolences' to the victims' families.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Columbus project makes city's neighborhoods more ADA accessible
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)– While many curb ramps around Columbus are compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), some are not, and the city is working to fix that. The work is included in the city's 2025 ADA Curb Ramp Project. The project lists 239 ramps at about 70 intersections to be worked on, according to the Columbus Department of Public Service (DPS). One of the intersections the city plans to work on is Dennison Avenue and West Sixth Avenue. Increasing accessibility at Ohio State Fair 'We were talking about cuts that don't meet current standards, this would be one, and that would be one,' resident Chuck Fairbanks said as he pointed out some issues at that intersection in the University District. Fairbanks has lived in the area for decades and been a wheelchair user since the late 1970s, so he knows the sidewalks and curb ramps to the streets well. He said the city's made a lot of progress since he was in college. 'Currently, we're doing pretty well, I think, with a few exceptions, but I can only think of two or three places where there's not a cut where there should be,' he said. But there is still work to be done. Ramps are required to be a certain width and have a specified slope. They also need to have what DPS deputy director James Young referred to as detectable warnings. At many intersections, that is a red mat with bumps in a grid-like pattern. Several spots in Fairbanks' neighborhood do not have those. 'We have about 56,000 ramps in the city, so it doesn't sound like we're making improvements, but a lot of them are compliant; we are making gradual increases and improvements in the system,' Young said. Ohio House overrides one budget veto, hoping to provide property tax relief The 2025 project will cost around $1.2 million. 'We want to make sure people have the means to get around their neighborhood, so a lot of times when we're going through, it's literally how do you get to places you need to be, and having that ramp in there makes it just easier to access your neighborhood,' Young said. The work on this year's project is expected to start in the fall, according to DPS. Young said the department usually decides where to do the work based on 311 requests and employees noticing problems. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
A smartwatch led rescuers to a fatal plane crash in Montana woods
Air travel safety Airplane crashes Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow The dense forests near West Yellowstone, Montana, concealed the wreckage of a small plane until an unlikely beacon — a smartwatch worn by one of the victims — helped search-and-rescue crews locate the crash site, officials said Monday. Responding crews found all three people aboard the aircraft dead, the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The victims were Rodney Conover, 60, and Madison Conover, 23, both of Tennessee, and Kurt Enoch Robey, 55, of Utah, according to the office. The plane departed from West Yellowstone Airport on Thursday, just before midnight, but never reached its destination, the sheriff's office said. On Friday afternoon, West Yellowstone Dispatch received a call from the US Department of Tranportation's Aero Division alerting local authorities that the aircraft's location was unknown. Minutes later, two planes were sent to search for the missing aircraft and, guided by location data from a smartwatch worn by one of the passengers, found the crash site just south of the town of West Yellowstone, the sheriff's office said. The search planes spotted the wreckage from air, describing it as 'crashed in dense timber,' the office said. Ground crews navigated the rugged wilderness to reach the site. Responders confirmed all three occupants had died. Their remains were airlifted and turned over to the county coroner. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash. CNN has reached out to both agencies for comment. Weather in the area at the time included gusty winds and chilly overnight temperatures. Sheriff Dan Springer extended his 'deepest condolences' to the victims' families.
