Summertime warning: America’s most dangerous beaches

Ace News Today - America’s most dangerous beaches — *(Image credit: Cocoa Beach, Florida / Facebook)*

As the summer season unfolds and temperatures rise, American coastlines witness a surge in eager beachgoers seeking sun, surf, and sand. However, certain beaches across the US are home to unforeseen dangers that have the potential to transform a dream vacation into a perilous nightmare. A new study by experts at Simmrin Law examined various criteria, including hurricanes, shark attacks and surf zone fatalities, before giving each beach a score out of 100 to determine America’s most dangerous beaches.

Ranking first on the list and taking the title of America’s #1 most dangerous beach is New Smyrna Beach, Florida, with a final score of 76.04.

New Smyrna Beach is not only one of the most likely beaches in the US to experience a hurricane, due to its location on the Florida coastline, but it is also the beach with the highest likelihood of shark attacks. With 185 recorded shark attacks in its history, it surpasses Daytona Beach, which ranks second with 141 attacks.

Placing second is Panama City Beach, Florida, with a final score of 67.75. Panama City Beach has 32 surf zone fatalities, the most out of all beaches in the US, with the majority of these being due to rip currents.

Third on the list is Daytona Beach, Florida, with a final score of 60.01. Daytona Beach has both high levels of shark attacks and surf zone fatalities, with a total of 18 and 44, respectively.

Miami Beach, Florida, places fourth, with a final score of 47.78. As with all Florida beaches on this list, Miami Beach ranks among the highest for hurricane frequency, experiencing a total of 124 hurricanes.

Ranking fifth is Cocoa Beach, Florida, with a final score of 46.35. Interestingly, out of all 26 recorded shark attacks at Cocoa Beach, none were fatal.

Placing sixth on the list is Ormond Beach, Florida, with a final score of 41.57. All six recorded surf zone fatalities at Ormond Beach were due to rip currents.

Ranking seventh is Ponce Inlet, Florida, with a final score of 41.54.Ponce Inlet has played host to a considerable number of shark attacks, totaling 34, but has only experienced two surf zone fatalities.

Indialantic Beach, Florida, places eighth, with a final score of 40.30. Indialantic beach has had a total of six surf zone fatalities and eight recorded shark attacks.

Ranking ninth is Melbourne Beach, Florida, with a final score of 40.92. There have been 19 recorded shark attacks at Melbourne Beach, with the vast majority of these being surfing-related.

Rounding off the top ten most dangerous beaches in America is Miramar Beach, Florida, with a final score of 40.63. Despite experiencing seven surf zone fatalities, Miramar Beach is the only entry in the top ten to have no recorded shark attacks.

America’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Beaches

Rank	Beach	State	Final Score
1	New Smyrna Beach	Florida	76.04
2	Panama City Beach	Florida	67.75
3	Daytona Beach	Florida	60.01
4	Miami Beach	Florida	47.78
5	Cocoa Beach	Florida	46.35
6	Ormond Beach	Florida	41.57
7	Ponce Inlet	Florida	41.54
8	Indialantic Beach	Florida	41.02
9	Melbourne Beach	Florida	40.92
10	Miramar Beach	Florida	40.63

Michael Simmrin, of Simmrin Law, commented on the findings: “While shark attacks often grab headlines, Florida’s beaches rank so high due to the ever-present hurricane risk. Hurricanes create dangerous rip currents and storm surge, raising the overall risk for beachgoers.”

“With summer approaching and vacations on the minds of many Americans, this study show the importance of putting safety first when considering a trip to the beach.”

America’s 25 Most Dangerous Beaches

Rank	Beach	State	Surf Zone Fatalities	Shark Attacks	Hurricanes	Final Score
1	New Smyrna Beach	Florida	9	185	124	76.04
2	Panama City Beach	Florida	32	6	124	67.75
3	Daytona Beach	Florida	18	44	124	60.01
4	Miami Beach	Florida	13	5	124	47.78
5	Cocoa Beach	Florida	8	26	124	46.35
6	Ormond Beach	Florida	6	11	124	41.57
7	Ponce Inlet	Florida	2	34	124	41.54
8	Indialantic Beach	Florida	6	8	124	41.02
9	Melbourne Beach	Florida	4	19	124	40.92
10	Miramar Beach	Florida	7	0	124	40.63
11	Jacksonville Beach	Florida	4	13	124	39.84
12	Pensacola Beach	Florida	6	1	124	39.76
13	Palm Beach	Florida	4	11	124	39.48
14	Jupiter Beach	Florida	4	10	124	39.30
15	Fort Lauderdale Beach	Florida	4	9	124	39.12
16	Vero Beach	Florida	4	9	124	39.12
17	Atlantic Beach	Florida	5	3	124	39.08
18	Surfside Beach	Florida	5	3	124	39.08
19	Garden City	Florida	5	1	124	38.72
20	Fernandina Beach	Florida	4	6	124	38.58
21	Navarre beach	Florida	5	0	124	38.54
22	Playalinda Beach	Florida	3	11	124	38.44
23	Myrtle Beach	South Carolina	24	24	33	38.20
24	Destin	Florida	4	3	124	38.04
25	Crescent Beach	Florida	3	6	124	37.54

Being an avid beachgoer, this writer has personally enjoyed and safely navigated several of these most dangerous beaches; and my best advice to anyone going to any beach is:

Know what to do if you’re caught in a riptide current and you can’t swim back to shore. If you get caught in a rip current and can’t swim back to shore, you should try to stay calm and:

Signal for help: Raise your hand and shout for help in the direction of the Beach Patrol;
Avoid swimming against the current: This will exhaust you and could cause you to go under;
Swim parallel to the shore. After swimming a short distance, you will swim out of the riptide waters and will once again be able to swim safely back to the shore. Swimming parallel to the shore will also give you more time to be rescued – plus allow you to swim back to shore when the current weakens;
Float: If you’re not making progress, save your energy and float until the current weakens or help arrives;
Swim sideways: Move sideways across the rip current until you’re free;
Swim at an angle: Once you’re free of the rip, swim back to shore at an angle;

Always be aware of your surroundings (and never turn your back on the ocean); and,

Always swim in an area where Life Guards are on active duty.