Italy, renowned for its breathtaking coastline and thriving tourism, occasionally faces nature’s unpredictability. Recent incidents of shark attacks have sparked interest and concern among both locals and visitors. While these encounters are relatively rare, they underline the delicate balance between human activities and the marine ecosystem. Stay with us as we provide weekly updates, ensuring you’re informed about the latest shark attacks in Italy. Safety and awareness are paramount for a harmonious experience by the sea.
Recent Shark Attacks in Italy
Date / Time | Country / Area | Activity | Name | Sex / Age | Injury | Species |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
08-18-2018 | ITALY ,Chieti, Province | Playing | male | M /24 | Calf bitten | |
03-29-2015 | ITALY ,Sardinia | Diving | Eugenio Masala | M /43 | FATAL, but shark involvement prior to death unconfirmed | Shark involvement not cofirmed |
06-10-2012 Morning | ITALY ,Sardinia | Attempting to rescue an injured & beached shark | Giorgio Zara | M /57 | Lower left leg injured PROVOKED ACCIDENT | Blue shark, 2.5m |
08-20-2006 | ITALY | Sea Disaster | a refugee | M | FATAL | |
08-03-2001 | ITALY | Fishing | boat; occupants: T & G Longhi | No Injury to occupants | ||
09-24-1999 | ITALY ,Adriatic Sea | Fishing | Boat “Coca Cola” | No Injury to occupants | Said to involve a 7 m [23'] white shark | |
08-27-1998 | ITALY ,Marches region | Fishing | 30' cabin cruiser owned by Stefano Catalani | No injury; no attack, shark ate the bait hanging over the side of the boat | Invalid | |
07-30-1991 15h30 | ITALY ,Ligurian Sea | Canoeing | Ivana Iacaccia | F /40 | No Injury to occupant; canoe bitten | 4 m [13'] white shark |
06-06-1989 15h30 | ITALY ,Tuscany | Windsurfing (urinating on his board) | Ezio Bocedi | M | Upper right thigh bitten | 3 m [10'] white shark |
02-02-1989 10h25 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Scuba diving, but swimming on surface | Luciano Costanzo | M /47 | FATAL. His body not recovered | 6 m [20'] white shark |
08-22-1988 | ITALY ,Manfredonia | male | M /16 | Survived | ||
01-01-1987 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Boat | Aniello Mattera and Giorgio Allori | M | No injury | White shark |
12-03-1984 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Boat | No injury | White shark | ||
06-15-1983 | ITALY ,Northwest Italy | Scuba diving | Roberto Piaviali | M | No injury, 3 m shark harassed him at depth of 5 m | Questionable incident |
01-01-1982 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Boat | Giovanni Vuoso | M | No details | 6 m [20'] white shark |
01-01-1982 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Fishing on a boat | Giuseppe Campodonico | M | No injury | White shark |
09-16-1978 11h00 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Diving | Fabrizio Marini | M | No injury | White shark, 5 m [16.5'] |
06-07-1978 | ITALY ,Golfo de Venezia | No injury, white shark struck platform | Invalid | |||
06-02-1976 | ITALY ,Reggio Calabria Province | Fishing | Francisco Pelle | M /46 | Shark rammed boat PROVOKED INCIDENT | Blue shark, 2m |
04-25-1975 | ITALY ,Genoa Province | Scuba diving | Walter Sansoni | M /37 | The press reported this as an attack by a white shark but the diver was the agressor | Invalid |
09-13-1967 | ITALY ,Brindisi Province | Scuba diving | Romeo Guarini | M /21 | Diver shot the shark, then it injured his arm and broke his leg with its tail. PROVOKED INCIDENT | 2 m shark |
08-25-1967 | ITALY ,Liguria | Spearfishing on Scuba | Gian Paolo Porta Casucci | M | Minor injuries to face & forearm | |
06-01-1967 | ITALY ,Sicily | Fishing boat | M | No injury to occupants, harpooned shark sank boat PROVOKED INCIDENT | White shark, 4 to 5 m [13' to 16.5'] | |
08-13-1966 | ITALY ,Taranto province | Attacked shark with fists | Cosimo Piccinni | M /21 | Arm lacerated | small shark |
11-16-1963 | ITALY ,Sicily | Spearfishing | Dr. Salito | M /28 | No injury | |
09-02-1962 10h20 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Spearfishing with Scuba gear | Maurizio Sarra | M /28 | FATAL, multiple injuries to both legs | White shark |
09-06-1961 | ITALY ,Venice Province | Fishing | Pollione Perrini & Fioravante Perini | M /33 | Left foot & right hand bitten by netted shark PROVOKED INCIDENT | 1 m shark |
07-01-1961 14h00 | ITALY ,Adriatic Sea | Spearfishing | Manfred Gregor | M /21 | Foot bitten | White shark, 4.5 m |
09-01-1956 | ITALY ,Tyrrenian Sea | Scuba diving | Goffredo Lombardo | M | Survived | White shark, 13'10, 1320-lb female |
03-25-1956 | ITALY ,Ligurian Sea | Boating | No details | Said to involve a 7 m [23'] white shark | ||
07-27-1954 Night | ITALY ,Venice Province | Fishing trawler Flavio Gioia | 10 crew | M | No injury to occupants. Shark tore nets & trawl and struck boat repeatedly | 5m shark |
08-05-1952 02h00 | ITALY ,Teramo | Fishing | Vittorio Speca | /19 | Multiple injuries PROVOKED INCIDENT | 2m shark |
08-04-1952 | ITALY ,Genoa Province | Fishing | Franco Podesta | M /17 | Bitten by hooked shark PROVOKED INCIDENT | 200-lb shark |
09-29-1951 | ITALY ,Salerno | Swimming | Anna Wurn | F /21 | FATAL | |
09-03-1951 Night | ITALY ,Salerno Province | Fishing for squid | Luca Caputo | M | 3 fingers severed when he used his hand as bait | |
08-16-1951 | ITALY ,Taranto | Diving (Hookah) | male | M | No injury | |
05-09-1951 | ITALY ,Naples Province | 3 men knocked to ground by harpooned shark PROVOKED INCIDENT | ||||
05-01-1950 | ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Fishing on a boat | Remo Adriani | M | No injury | unknown, possibly a white shark |
01-01-1950 | ITALY ,Savona | Fishing | male | M | Harpooned shark bit his forehead PROVOKED INCIDENT | |
08-17-1949 | ITALY ,Tuscany | Swimming | Domenico Murolo | M /17 | No injury | 2 m shark |
08-10-1949 | ITALY ,Calabria | Swimming | Giovanni Picarelli | M /21 | Right hand severed | |
01-01-1944 | ITALY ,Adriatic Sea | B-24 aircraft crashed into the sea | male, a member of the crew | M | FATAL | |
08-01-1943 | ITALY ,40 miles south of Naples | Flying Fortress bomber aircraft went down after daytime raid on Naples. He was swimming on the surface | Lieutenant Robert D. Kurz (U.S.), co-pilot | M | Bitten on arms, hands & feet while awaiting rescue | |
07-06-1942 | ITALY ,Liguria | Sculling | Gino Bardolini | M /20 | After he hit the shark with an oar, the shark bit the oar and overturned the boat PROVOKED INCIDENT | Porbeagle shark |
07-07-1937 | ITALY ,Liguria | row boat: 2 occupants | No injury | Invalid | ||
08-27-1934 | ITALY ,Sicily | Fishing on a boat | M | No injury to occupants | White shark, 4 m [13'] | |
07-23-1926 11h00 | ITALY ,Golfo di Genova in the Ligurian Sea | Swimming | Augusto Casellato | M /20 | FATAL, body was not recovered | Said to involve 6 to 7 m [20' to 23'] white shark |
08-26-1913 | ITALY ,Trieste | Human casualties | Shark involvement prior to death unconfirmed | |||
01-01-1909 | ITALY ,Sicily | On December 28, 1908, an earthquake, followed by tsunamis, destroyed coastal towns in Silcily and southern Italy, killing more than 100,000 people | 3 unidentified bodies recovered (male, female & young girl) from gut of female 4.5 m [14'9] white shark caught in fishing net. They may have drowned in tidal wave following earthquake | Shark involvement prior to death was not confirmed | ||
07-25-1905 | ITALY | boy | M /8 | Body recovered from shark, probable drowning and scavenging | Shark involvement prior to death was not confirmed | |
07-01-1904 | ITALY ,Ancona Province | Swimming | M | FATAL x 4. Afterwards metal mesh nets were installed | ||
08-29-1902 | ITALY ,Calabria | Swimming | male | M | FATAL | |
07-15-1902 | ITALY ,Liguria | Fishing | male | M | Face & arms injured by hooked shark PROVOKED INCIDENT | |
07-17-1901 | ITALY ,Syracuse | Swimming | Antonio Tornatori | M /20 | Disappeared, but shark involvement unconfirmed | Questionable |
06-07-1899 | ITALY ,Calabria | Fishing | Enrico & Noce | M | Multiple injuries from boated shark PROVOKED INCIDENT | 70 kg shark |
05-04-1899 | ITALY ,Imperia Province | Bathing | The valet of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne | M | FATAL | |
09-22-1887 | ITALY | Swimming | Joseph Weissmantel | M | Leg injured | |
03-16-1877 | ITALY ,Strait of Messina | Paddling | Captain Paul Boyton | M | 3 ribs broken by shark's tail | |
09-01-1868 | ITALY ,Adriatic Sea | male | M | FATAL | White shark | |
04-06-1738 | ITALY ,Sicily | Swimming | male | M | FATAL | |
06-01-1721 | ITALY ,Sardinia | Swimming | male | M | FATAL, partial remains recovered from shark’s gut | White shark, 1600-lb female |
ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Diving | Dante Matacchione | M | No injury | White shark | |
ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Shipwreck | males | M | Depicts shipwrecked sailors attacked by a shark/s | ||
ITALY ,Tuscany | Watercraft | Mr. Bagolinii | M | No injury, shark approached the boat, he hit it with and oar and fell into the sea PROVOKED INCIDENT | Species unknown, possibly a white shark | |
ITALY ,Tyrrhenian Sea | Fishing, on a boat | male | M | No injury to occupant | White shark | |
ITALY ,Liguaria | Spearfishing | Aldo Campi | M /27 | Abdomen injured | ||
ITALY ,Sicily | Fishing on a boat | male | M | Non-Fatal | White sharks | |
ITALY ,Sicily | Snorkeling | Neil Montoya | M /13 | Contusion of left foot | 3 m to 3.6 m [10' to 11'9] white shark | |
ITALY | Fishing | M | No injury | 13' shark | ||
ITALY ,Tuscany | Scuba diving | Karl Pollerer & Eric Eisesenid | M /34 | Probable drowing. Shark involvement unconfirmed | Shark involvement prior to death was not confirmed |
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Are certain regions in Italy more prone to shark encounters than others?
Certain regions in Italy might experience slightly higher incidences of shark encounters due to their unique marine ecosystems and fish populations. However, it’s essential to emphasize that Italy, in its entirety, has a low frequency of such incidents. Coastal areas with abundant fish might attract more marine life, but overall, shark encounters remain uncommon throughout the country.
What species of sharks are responsible for most attacks in Italy?
In Italy, the majority of shark encounters, which are quite rare, can be attributed to the Blue shark and the Shortfin Mako, which are known to be the most common species in the Mediterranean Sea. However, it’s important to note that these species are typically not aggressive towards humans unless provoked. Therefore, while these species are present in Italy’s waters, incidents involving them are extremely infrequent.
Is Italy taking any preventive measures to reduce shark encounters?
Yes, Italy has been proactive in implementing strategies and raising awareness to minimize the risk of shark encounters. Local authorities often collaborate with marine experts to monitor shark activities and provide guidelines for swimmers and fishermen.