Great White Shark Attacks Mediterranean

Not many know that there are great white sharks in the Mediterranean, let alone how many great white shark attacks there have been on people in the Mediterranean. Whilst it is very uncommon for shark attacks to occur in the Mediterranean, they do occasionally happen.

There have been 20 known great white shark attacks in the Mediterranean Sea region, 11 of which were in Italy, four in Greece, two in Malta, two in France and one in Spain. Of these 20 great white shark attacks in the Mediterranean, 12 have been fatal and all shark attacks were unprovoked attacks.

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The following table includes a list of all recorded great white shark attacks in the Mediterranean Sea region. These shark attacks also include great white shark attacks in smaller seas off the Mediterranean Sea too, like the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ligurian Sea and the Adriatic Sea around Italy, where most great white sharks attacks have occurred.

There have been other shark attacks in the Mediterranean Sea by unknown shark species, but as these are unknown, they have been excluded from the table.

The exception is the attack by a 6.4 metre (21 foot) fatal shark attack in Attica, Greece. I have included this shark attack, as due to the size of the recorded shark attack, it is likely to have been a great white shark.

Great White Shark Attack Data Mediterranean - List of shark attacks in Mediterranean

Place in Mediterranean	Country	Date	Fatal/Non-Fatal	Activity	Species and size	Provoked/Unprovoked
Shark attack at Antibes in Côte d'Azur, France	France	01/01/1700	Not fatal	Bathing	Great white shark, unknown size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Ponte della Maddelena, in Sardinia, Italy	Italy	01/06/1721	Fatal	Swimming	White shark, 1,600lb female	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Trieste in Adriatic Sea, Italy	Italy	01/09/1868	Fatal	Unknown	White shark , unknown size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Marsaskala in Harare Province, Malta	Malta	07/03/1907	Fatal	Fishing	6 metre great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Isla Cabrera in Balearics, Spain	Spain	01/01/1912	Fatal	Fell into the water	Great white shark, unknow size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Varazze in Golfo di Genova in the Ligurian Sea, Italy	Italy	23/07/1926	Fatal	Swimming	6-7 metre (20-23 foot) great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Keratsini in Attica, Greece	Greece	22/09/1948	Fatal	Swimming	6.4 metre (21 foot) shark, species not identified, but size would indicate a great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Off Royal Residence in Corfu Island, Greece	Greece	17/08/1951	Fatal	Swimming	Great white shark, unknown size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Kérkira in Corfu Island, Greece	Greece	01/01/1956	Fatal	Swimming off yacht	Great white shark, unknown size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Marsascala in St. Thomas Bay, Malta	Malta	20/07/1956	Fatal	Swimming	Great white shark, unknown size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at 1.5 miles south of San Felice Circeo in Tyrrenian Sea, Italy	Italy	01/9/1956	Not fatal	Scuba diving	13'10", 1320lb female great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Riccione in Adriatic Sea, Italy	Italy	01/07/1961	Not fatal	Spearfishing	4.5 metre great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Circeo, Secca del Faro in Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy	Italy	01/08/1962	Not fatal	Diving	White shark, unknow size.	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Circeo, Secca del Quadro in Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy	Italy	02/09/1962	Fatal	Spearfishing with Scuba gear	Great white shark, unknown size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at near Trikerion Island in Thessaly, Greece	Greece	01/06/1963	Fatal	Swimming	3 metre great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Location unknown in Antibes, France	France	01/01/1972	Not fatal	Swimming	Great white shark, unknown size	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Capo d'Anzio in Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy	Italy	16/09/1978	Not fatal	Diving	5 metre (15.5' foot) great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Punta Secca in Sicily, Italy	Italy	01/07/1985	Not fatal	Snorkelling	3-3.6 metre (10' to 11.9 foot) great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Golfo di Baratti, near Piombino (Tuscany) in Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy	Italy	02/02/1989	Fatal	Scuba diving, but swimming on surface	6 metre (20 foot) great white shark	Unprovoked
Shark attack at Marinella, between Punta Blanca & Marine del Carrara in Tuscany, Italy	Italy	06/06/1989	Not fatal	Windsurfing (urinating on his board)	3 metre (10 foot) great white shark	Unprovoked

The great white shark attack data for the Mediterranean was obtained from http://www.sharkattackdata.com/
Although the seas are not always listed as the Mediterranean Sea as such, they are seas within the Mediterranean area, for example, Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ligurian Sea and the Adriatic Sea.

When was the last great white shark attack in the Mediterranean?

The last known great white shark attack in the Mediterranean was in June 1989 in Italy. This was a non-fatal attack by a 3 metre (10 foot) great white shark between Punta Blanca & Marine del Carrara in Tuscany, Italy.

It is likely there are no further recorded great white shark attacks in the Mediterranean since 1989 due to the reducing numbers of white sharks. Great white sharks in the Mediterranean have been in decline for a number of years. The exact numbers are unknown, but it is thought their numbers are very low, and white sharks in the Med may even become extinct.

You may be interested to read other places where great white sharks can be found, some places were a big surprise to me: Where Do You Find Great White Sharks (A Few Big Surprises!).

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