Apparently, those who keep such statistics always crown New Smyrna Beach (which, by the way, is pronounced Si-MUR-na, three syllables instead of two) as the shark bite capital of the world.
But one needs to understand why and how severe those attacks are to fully understand the situation. The northern shore of New Smyrna Beach abuts an inlet, a waterway between New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet. To put things in perspective, the "island" (so to speak) wherein Ponce Inlet is located also includes Ormond Beach, then (coming south) Daytona Beach, then Daytona Beach Shores, and then Ponce Inlet.
Ponce Inlet, unlike its northern neighbors which have numerous high rises and mid-rises along the beach, is a single family home community (at least, as far as I could see) and has no public beach that I know of. Hence, access to the inlet is from New Smyrna Beach.
The Atlantic Ocean pours into that inlet separating New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet at a pretty good velocity such that tons of baitfish get flushed into it. Where there are tons of baitfish, there will be sharks. But also, where there are fast rushing (or at least above average speed) waves, there will be surfers. The surfers, often 14 or 15 years old, know that the sharks will be swimming among them so it's kind of a rite of passage and "proof" of their manhood to go surfing there.
And sometimes the oftentimes teenage surfers do get bit. But one has to know a bit about sharks to fully appreciate what "bit" might mean. Apparently, a shark is a very picky eater. If they encounter something unfamiliar in the water like legs dangling alongside a surfboard, they'll ever so carefully nibble to determine if they'll like eating it. And they apparently hate the taste of humans. So they'll nibble, then swim away, but that tiny, careful nibble may cause a 15 stitch leg wound. And you'll then read the next day's local paper in which the kid says the usual, "This won't stop me from surfing there", probably met with yawns and eye rolls from the locals who read such things on a regular basis.
I've always wondered, since that inlet is between New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet, why they don't call Ponce Inlet the shark bite capital of the world.
I, personally, have never heard of a shark attack away from the inlet. The New Smyrna beach is magnificent. Flat, more or less hard-packed so you can ride bikes or a car on it, a gentle slope into the water, comfortable water temperatures. Here's a picture of the Daytona Beach Shores beach (I love Daytona Beach Shores and New Smyrna Beach most of all) as both those beaches are pretty much the same, and both are in relatively more affluent and more upscale communities:
But January can be cold. I'd check historical weather sites but, without doing so, I'd say later February at the earliest. In fact, weeks 6 or 7 are the traditional "Daytona 500 and its pre-festivities" weeks so there's no reason to pay up for those weeks if you won't be a spectator.
