Shark attack capital

My Mom and stepfather Del recently went house-hunting in New Smyrna Beach, in preparation for my joining them in Florida, but decided we will stay put in their current house (which is across from a lake, rather than on the coast). New Smyrna Beach - as I remembered from sensational news over the past few years - is the Shark Attack Capitol of the World. According to the International Shark Attack File, there were 59 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in 2008. Of this total, 32 were in Florida, 22 were in Volusia County, and 21 were specifically at New Smyrna Beach. The New Smyrna encounters are chronicled here. Even so, the beach is home base for champion surfer Amy Nicholl. Nicholl is inspired by another surfer on the national circuit, Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm to a shark while surfing in her home state of Hawaii. Bethany's tale is told in a documentary called, "The Soul of a Surfer: The Bethany Hamilton Story," including her return to the sport just 3 weeks after the attack. Neither personal experience nor statistics deter die-hard surfers in search of the perfect wave. Case in point: in celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Smyrna Surfari Club will be hosting the Land Shark Spring Surfari Pro event at New Smyrna Inlet in April...