“Jaws 3D” star Lea Thompson, who will be at Tampa’s SharkCon this weekend. Credit: MCA Theatricals

Makes sense when you think about the amount of McDonald’s Americans eat, but the U.S. is the shark attack capital of the world, with the Sunshine State clocking in with more unprovoked non lethal bites in 2022 (just 15, with 44% of them happening in Volusia County).

The famed predators are friends, not food, however, and this weekend the Bay area gets to celebrate the animal when SharkCon takes a bite out of Tampa. Tickets to SharkCon 2023 happening Saturday-Sunday, July 15-16 at the Florida State Fairgrounds are still available for $4.95-$26.95.

Presented by National Geographic’s Sharkfest, the festival includes screenings of “Jaws 3-D” a meet-and-greet with the stars of the film, Lea Thompson (also: “Back To the Future”) and Louis Gossett Jr. Titanic expert Dr. David Gallo will also be there (which could be awkward) along with more than 150 vendors, plush exhibitions from SharkCon’s science and conservation Partners Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Mote Marine Aquarium and Laboratory, ZooTampa, GatorLand and Ocearch.

Also visiting this weekend are shark experts from Florida International University—including Mike Heithaus, Yannis Papastamatiou, Erin Spencer, Frances Farabaugh and Candace Fields.