In 2024, fatal shark attacks claimed lives across the globe, from remote diving spots to popular tourist beaches, sparking renewed debates over ocean safety, marine behavior, and human interaction with these apex predators.
The first confirmed shark attack of 2024 occurred around June 2 near Maavah Island in Laamu Atoll, Maldives.
Corporal Mohamed Zaidhan, 23, was participating in extreme military training when he was reportedly bitten by a shark. The limited information provided states he suffered a serious injury to his thigh around 1 p.m. He was taken to the L. Gan Regional Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, where he later passed away.
Zaidhan was buried with full military honors, including a seven-gun salute, and flags were flown at half-staff at the Maldives National Defense Force headquarters.
Recent videos shared online show what appears to be active shark feeding in the islands by divers. In several of the videos, large tiger sharks can be seen nipping at divers. It is unknown what species of shark was involved in the attack on Zaidhan.
A surfer was most likely killed by a shark in Hawaii.
Tamayo Perry, 49, was surfing on June 23 off Oahu. The active lifeguard and movie star was on his lunch break when he went surfing off Goat Island. Friends became worried when Perry did not return and went to look for him on a jet ski.
Authorities received a call around 1 p.m. reporting a person in the water with multiple shark bites. According to local reports, Perry was missing an arm and a leg.
Perry, who was involved with the films Pirates of the Caribbean and Blue Crush, was a devout Christian, and according to friends and family, he would not want the event to keep anyone from enjoying the ocean.
While the injuries are consistent with a fatal shark attack, without a full autopsy report, it is plausible Perry may have suffered a medical emergency and was scavenged by a shark or sharks.
Such an incident took place in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. An unidentified kitesurfer was found dead, missing his limbs, on June 27. Based on forensic reports, the man died and was scavenged by sharks.
Another possible scavenging event occurred in Jamaica.
Jahmari Reid, 16, went spearfishing alone on Aug. 26 around 6 a.m. near Montego Bay. Family members became concerned when his bike, clothes, and other items were found on the beach 12 hours later. According to a man claiming to be Reid’s uncle, authorities were contacted, but no one came to the scene.
The following day, the uncle and four boats of searchers went to look for Reid. During the search, they found his severed left arm and spotted a large tiger shark near his headless body. The fishermen shot at the shark, which came back until being shot at again.
Locals theorize the shark followed a ship to the island and failed to leave with the ship. Police believe the incident is isolated and that the waters around the island are safe.
Reid’s devastated father said he tried to dissuade his son from spearfishing, and the two argued about it often.
Those practicing spearfishing should always dive with a partner and have a safety plan in place.
A tourist was killed in a shark attack off Gran Canaria.
Elena Knorr, 30, was riding a British catamaran around 278 miles southwest of the island of Gran Canaria when a shark took her leg.
Crew members requested assistance around 2:55 p.m., and a rescue helicopter was dispatched. Unfortunately, due to the remote location, the chopper was only able to collect the patient around 8 p.m. Knorr suffered a heart attack at some point during the rescue and died.
A diver was found being consumed by a shark in Indonesia.
Collen Monfore, 68, disappeared during a dive on Sept. 25 around Pulau Reong Island. Information gathered from other divers states they were in 24 feet of water when they turned around due to a change in current. Monfore, an extremely experienced diver, did not return to the boat.
Several days later, a fisherman spotted a tiger shark acting erratically on the surface of the water. The fisherman killed the bloated-belly shark and towed it to land around 70 miles from the dive site.
Kim Sass, a close friend of Monfore’s, stated that the group believes Monfore most likely died of a medical emergency and was later scavenged by the shark. Part of this belief is based on the digestion of tiger sharks.
Video and photos from the scene show the flayed tiger shark and human remains. The contents of the shark, which appeared to be in the late stages of decomposition, included a wetsuited arm, two hands, and a large piece of wetsuit, which is most likely what caused the shark to float on the water with a distended stomach. This lends credibility to the scavenging theory, as most sharks can vomit out their stomachs to clean them or dislodge prey too large to digest.
A young diver was killed by a shark in New Zealand.
Jade Kahukore-Dixon, 24, was diving on Nov. 19 when he was killed by a white shark. Dixon had started his own fishing company and would hunt for shellfish on the ocean floor.
It wasn’t uncommon to see great whites during dives, and his father said that when his son would spot a shark, he would hide behind rocks and then sneak back to the boat before being spotted.
According to local reports, Dixon had just entered the water from a boat when he was mauled by a white shark. He was pulled from the water and taken to Waitangi Wharf, where emergency services were waiting. He was rushed to the Chatham Island Health Centre, where he passed away.
Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, was killed by a shark on Dec. 22 in Egypt. The European Union official was snorkeling in deep water, wearing red swim shorts, as his wife and son watched from the Sataya Resort pier. During his excursion, a large shark grabbed his leg. His wife called for help, and a speedboat was launched from shore.
Egypt sees a fatal and nonfatal shark attack
Giuseppe Fappani saw Gioia clinging to a buoy and, thinking he was having a medical emergency, swam to his aid. Fappani was about five meters from the injured snorkeler when he was struck by the shark.
Fappani managed to stab the shark in the eye with his middle finger, but it continued to attack, pulling him underwater and injuring both his legs and his right forearm. He kept poking the shark’s eye as rescuers from a local dive center arrived by boat. As they pulled him on board, they had to repeatedly strike the shark with an iron bar until it stopped attacking—a scene that was captured on video.
Fappani was taken to a local hospital, where he received stitches to his legs, arm, and hand. Reports indicate that Gioia’s body was recovered the following day. Photos show that most of his calf was missing.
Authorities reported that a shortfin mako was responsible for the attack. However, Fappani identified the shark as a tiger shark.
Egypt has experienced several fatal shark attacks in the last three years. Vladimir Popov’s death was captured on film, and two tourists were killed by a tiger shark in the same area.
Spearfisherman killed by shark in Australia
Luke Walford, 40, was killed off the Great Barrier Reef at Keppel Bay. The pastor and school chaplain was bitten on the head while spearfishing just after 4:30 p.m. Reports indicate that he suffered a significant, life-threatening wound to the neck.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched to the Humpy Island Camping Area in the Keppel Bay Islands National Park. Police say Walford died at the scene just before 6 p.m.
Friends stated that Luke had a heart for God and would be deeply missed.
Two shark attacks in Africa
An unidentified man was diving for sea urchins off Mozambique on Dec. 30 when he was attacked by a shark. He was taken to shore but died the following day.
Unfortunately, that was not the only fatal shark attack in the area. On Jan. 3, 2025, another diver was also killed by a shark.
Alberto Vilanculo, 36, went diving around 10 a.m. with several friends. Around 1:30 p.m., he surfaced and was speaking to a friend when he suddenly cried out in pain.
A fellow diver saw the shark attacking Vilanculo, who was bitten on the buttocks, legs, and part of his stomach. He was pulled from the water, loaded onto a boat, and taken back to shore, where he passed away a short time later.
A witness reported that Vilanculo suffered injuries to the liver and intestinal evisceration. A photo of the victim showed multiple injuries to the leg around the right knee and thigh.
Authorities issued a red alert, urging fishermen, divers, and swimmers to stay out of the water. They also considered hunting and killing the shark.
Locals reported that a third person was also killed by a shark, but as of the time of publication, this could not be confirmed.
All approximate locations can be found on the 2025 Shark Attack Map.
Those concerned about a negative shark encounter can learn some best practices on the Shark Attack Prevention page.
