New Smyrna Beach, a surfing hub south of Daytona Beach, is widely known as the “Shark Bite Capital of the World,” according to WESH and The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Less than two weeks before the July 18 attack, a man identified as Matthew Bender was bitten by a shark while surfing in the Florida city, per FOX 35.

The surfer was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, official said. This is the fourth shark bite in Volusia County in 2025.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - A shark clamped down on a surfer's foot Friday at New Smyrna Beach, according to a spokesperson for Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue. This is the second shark bite at the beach in less than two weeks. A 40-year-old Winter Park man was bitten by a shark on July 6 while surfing.