Shark Attacks in Brazil (2025 Report)

There have been 111 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in Brazil since 1931, with the highest number of attacks being 65 occurring in the state of Pernambuco, according to the International Shark Attack File. 

With Brazil being a surf mecca, should you worry about sharks when surfing there? What actions can you take to prevent a shark attack? Keep reading to find out.

How Many Shark Attacks Happen on the Brazilian Coast? 

Sharks are common visitors along the coast of Brazil due to its warm waters and tropical climate. Attacks, however, are mostly concentrated in northeastern coastal areas, particularly in high-volume, urbanized cities where environmental disruption, overfishing, pollution, and warm waters combine to produce shark-and-human conflicts. 

Joseph Martinez, a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida who researches sharks and manages the ISAF (International Shark Attack File) database, explained the shark attack pattern we’ve seen in Brazil throughout the past forty years or so. 

“If we go all the way back to 1980 you're not seeing a whole lot of attacks at all. And then all of a sudden you see this huge spike in the early 90s,” He said. The pick up in tourism and overall human traffic during this time is to blame. There were around twenty attacks from 1990 to 1994, and then another twenty from 1995 to 1999. 

“That number has decreased in more recent years. There was a small spike from 2015 to 2019, but overall it has not been as high in the 90s,” Martinez said. 

The most recent shark attacks in Brazil occurred on back-to-back days in 2023, one on March 5 and the next on March 6. 

The first attack took place around 11:20 a.m. on March 5, according to an article on trackingsharks.com. A 14-year-old boy was swimming in the water off of Piedade Beach, a beach near Recife in Pernambuco State, when a shark grabbed onto his right thigh. 

“Videos taken at the scene show the boy as he was carried out of the water and placed on the beach, revealing a large portion missing from his upper right front thigh,” according to the article. Patrons on the beach helped him out of the water. He was airlifted from the beach by helicopter to Samu and then transferred to another hospital in the capital. The boy survived but had his right leg amputated. 

On March 6 around 1 p.m., Kaylane Timóteo Freitas was in waist-deep water approximately 500 meters from where the 14-year-old boy was attacked a day earlier, when a shark grabbed Freitas’ left arm just below the shoulder. She was swiftly carried out of the water by patrons and taken to a nearby hospital where she had her arm amputated.

Why is Recife a Shark Hotspot? 

Recife, a city in Pernambuco State, Brazil, is a popular surf destination located on a cape that juts out furthest off Brazil, with a high level of freshwater output. 

“That’s why we see a high number of bull sharks here, they are taking advantage of those estuary and freshwater environments,” Martinez said. Areas where fresh water flows into the ocean create congregation points for sharks because a high level of baitfish often enter the ocean through outflow. 

Additionally, the water around Recife is murkier on the eastern Atlantic coast than the western coast. Murky water can make it harder for sharks to distinguish between humans and prey, and many species prefer to hunt in lower-visibility conditions where they can stay hidden. 

What Sharks are Found in Brazil? 

The two main shark species responsible for attacks in Brazil are bull sharks and tiger sharks, which are also responsible for all of the fatal attacks in the country. 

Sharks are most active along the coast of Brazil during the summer months, when the water is warmest. Like most predators, they follow their food source. When the bait fish come close to shore, the sharks follow. 

What risk management protocols are in place for shark attacks in Brazil? 

To protect people against shark-human interactions in Brazil, measures are taken by the government and local authorities to help ensure patrons’ safety, and there are personal precautions that one can take as well. 

1. Beach Closures and Restrictions: Closing beaches temporarily, or in some cases permanently, for swimming or surfing in high-risk areas is the most effective approach to minimizing shark-human interactions without harming sharks or marine ecosystems. Listen to local advisories and follow bans or warnings to minimize your risk. Authorities typically base their decisions on recent shark activity, firsthand sightings, and environmental conditions. 

2. Avoiding High-Risk Conditions: Avoid swimming or surfing near freshwater outflows, after heavy rain storms, or in murky water. These conditions attract sharks and can increase the likelihood of shark encounters. 

3. Surfing/Swimming in Groups: Don’t swim or surf alone! Sharks are less likely to target groups in water.

4. Drones: drones with cameras are useful in monitoring the water in swimming and surfing areas because they allow lifeguards/authorities to alert beachgoers when sharks are near in real time. However, murky water and low visibility can make it difficult to spot sharks from the drones. 

5. Drumlines: Drumlines can reduce shark attacks in the short-term, but can also cause significant harm to marine ecosystems when they result in the killing of various unharmful animals. 

How effective are drumlines? 

Drumlines are a popular technology used in Brazil, Australia, and Reunion Island to reduce shark attacks near swimming and surfing beaches. Baited hooks are attached to floating buoys. The idea is that the buoys are checked regularly for sharks caught, but in reality, a traditional drumline results in a high level of bycatch of unharmful marine life. 

“The bycatch of drumlines has been horrible,” Martinez said. In Recife, a main surfing area of Brazil where there’s a higher number of shark attacks, drumlines have been in place since the early 2000s. 

“Bycatch is around 150 nurse sharks, and maybe they'll catch two or three bulls and two or three tigers. So they’re going out there and setting these drumlines as shark attractants. But really, they’re just going out there and ending up with a pretty high level of bycatch,” Martinez said. 

This being said, Shark Management Alert in Real Time (SMART) Drumlines have shown to be useful in mitigating shark attacks without killing a lot of marine life. When a shark takes the bait, the system immediately sends an alert so that the shark can be tagged, relocated, or released. This obviously reduces unnecessary shark deaths. This approach is more humane and environmentally friendly than traditional drumlines. 

Shark Attacks in Brazil: Conclusion 

Brazil, specifically the Recife area, has a reputation for being a high-risk area for shark attacks. While the region does experience more shark attacks than most others, the likelihood of an attack is still very low. 

The ocean is home to sharks, and it is vital to our marine environments that we continue working to find methods of mitigation that protect both people and sharks.