On September 7, 2008 Ross Psyhogios and an unidentified companion were surfing at Ocean Beach, San Francisco near Stairwell 17. It was 11:00 AM and he had been in the water about 20 minutes. There was a light fog with a cloudy sky. Air and water temperatures were estimated in the 60’s and 50’s Fahrenheit respectively. The surf was ‘crumbly’ with inconsistent waves in the 3–4 foot range. The water was about 10 feet deep with 3 feet of visibility. There were two dolphins observed swimming in a southerly direction 100 yards from his location. Psyhogios reported:

“I had just swam back out into the lineup when I saw a dark gray dorsal fin, 2–3 feet high, surface approximately 20 yards to my right just outside the lineup. It was difficult to tell the body length of the shark, but I would estimate 10 feet or so. The fin was moving southbound and surfaced briefly for a few seconds before slowly receding back into the water. At first my surfing partner and I thought nothing of it, but less than a minute later, the dorsal fin resurfaced this time heading towards the lineup before it slipped underneath the surface of the water. That was my last sighting of the shark.”

Caution should be exercised when utilizing this location for your ocean water activities. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

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