Misunderstood … a great white shark. A great white shark. Sharks killed twice as many swimmers and surfers last year than in 2010, with the increase blamed largely on a growth in tourism and changing shark patterns because of global warming.
There were 12 deaths in 46 shark attacks last year, a mortality rate of more than 25 per cent compared with an average of under 7 per cent in the past 10 years, according to statistics from the University of Florida.
Countries that recorded shark attack deaths included Australia with three fatal out of 11 attacks; South Africa, two fatal out of five; the French island of Reunion, two deaths in four attacks; and Seychelles with two attacks both ending in death.
 Other countries with non-fatal shark attacks included Indonesia (three), Mexico (three), Russia (three) and Brazil (two).Three locations not normally associated with high numbers of shark attacks - Reunion, Seychelles and New Caledonia - registered a total of seven attacks with five fatal outcomes, according to George Burgess, an ichthyologist from the University of Florida.
"Those areas were not traditional area for tourism in recent years," the scientist said.
"Over the last decade, more and more tourists have been going there ... So we are getting more people coming to places where there are sharks, and the local communities are not prepared for the number of people going into the water at this time."
He said medical facilities in these areas might not be developed enough to provide treatment in emergencies of this type. In addition to the influx of tourists, the effects of global warming have meant sharks migrating to regions where they were not normally seen, he said.