Last Updated on June 1, 2023 by AIFS Abroad
AIFS Stellenbosch student Kelly cage shark diving
In honor of Shark Week, we are rating some of our study abroad locations on a scale of 0 to 10 sharks. Yes, Rome may have the Colosseum, Paris may have the Eiffel Tower, but South Africa has Seal Island, where sharks jump in the air. Which leads us to…
1) South Africa – We are going to have to put South Africa at #1. With the most shark attacks, it is second only to Florida (do not study abroad there) which has slightly fewer attacks. People are not deterred from going to South Africa though, certainly not our students, who enjoy cage diving with sharks along with the many amazing activities you can do there. Rating: 10 out of 10 sharks
2) Australia – A close second. With 166 species of sharks, you can find them pretty much anywhere. Visit Cottesloe Beach, where they installed a shark net last year just to be safe…Good thing there are a lot of land activities, such as our excursion to the outback. Rating: 10 out of 10 sharks
3) Brazil – Since closing off two nearby estuaries, sharks moved to the next closest location, Recife, which has been the main location for shark attacks. And don’t forget about the bull sharks known to swim up the Amazon. Luckily Sao Paulo is not on the ocean. Rating: 7 out of 10 Sharks
Honorable mentions:
England and Ireland – Nothing to be worried about, just these delightful basking sharks, basking off the coast of Cornwall and other locations. Shark Rating: 2 out of 10 Sharks
India – Probably not on your radar but India is on some lists of top shark attack locations with 15 shark attacks! …dating from 1580 though so hmmm… Shark Rating: 3 out of 10 Sharks
Italy – There was that very reputable movie Sharks in Venice? Probably not… Shark Rating: 0 out of 10 Sharks
Tweet us your comments and additions! @aifsabroad There’s still time to study abroad this fall in any of our shark infested locations, and spring deadlines are coming up, so head to our website and check out all of your options. Happy Shark Week!
