SurfPulse » Sharks

Shark Attack in Santa Cruz on Thursday, November 5, 2009

matt — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:17:11 +0000

SurfPulse just received a report from the Shark Research Committee of a shark attack in Santa Cruz on Thurs., Nov. 5:

On November 5, 2009 Eric Geiselman was surfing at Lagunas, just north of Santa Cruz. The following report was posted on the website Super Spectacular Adventures by Geiselman:

“I don’t even know how to describe it. Everything happened so quickly! I was surfing with my brother Evan and Taylor Brothers at this wave called Lagoonas. The waves were sh..ty and it was raining. I wasn’t even that motivated to go out. Evan and Taylor were in typical ‘grom’ mode and wanted to have a paddle. Jay Thompson and a couple other guys were out surfing too. Right before it was getting dark everyone went in except us. I was sitting out the back just waiting for a wave. I had my back towards the ocean looking straight towards the beach to line up when it happened. Out of nowhere I got attacked from underneath. My board broke instantly right underneath me from the crazy force and I pretty much fell through my board but somehow managed to keep the front end under me. I knew right away I was being attacked and sort of just went into panic mode. I actually kicked it to when I was scrambling to get away. I was screaming to my brother who was about 30 yards away from me. My leash was still attached to the back end of my board when I was scratching to get away but, I was too scared to even reach back and undo it! What was so crazy is we weren’t even that far off the beach. Luckily I made it in to the shore. My buddy Mike Lopez and Taylor’s brother Cavin filmed me scratching once they heard me screaming. All that you can see on footage. Somehow my board didn’t get a bite in it?? Luckily it hit me by my fins so I think that might have spooked it. It was definitely the scariest thing that has ever happen to me. It’s crazy because it felt like a really bad nightmare. So scary to know how helpless you are in the water when something like that goes down! Thank God that’s all that happened!”

Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

The Real NorCal Locals: Great Whites

matt — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:32:02 +0000

Fascinating new research has been published about the great white sharks that live in northern California coastal waters, but also migrate to Hawaii for half the year. Scientists theorize that the great whites that live in this area are a distinct breed that do not mingle with great whites from other areas, including SoCal. For more information, read the article at SFGate.com.

Shark Encounter at Linda Mar (Pacifica) on Wednesday, September 2, 2009

matt — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:50:54 +0000

The following report was provided by the Shark Research Committee: On September 2, 2009, Derek Bobbe was surfing at the north end of Pacifica State Beach, also known as Linda Mar Beach. It was 6:40 PM and he had been in the water 40 minutes. The sun was setting and the sky was partly cloudy with an estimated air temperature of 71°F. There was a light surface chop with small, disorganized 2–3 foot waves. Water depth was 5–7 feet with visibility of 4–5 feet and an estimated temperature of 55°F. A single pinniped was observed in the area 5–10 minutes prior to the encounter.

Bobbe recounted:

“I was surfing some small waves at North Linda Mar. There were four other surfers in my immediate area. The conditions were deteriorating as the tide was increasing. Shortly after a small set of waves arrived, one of the other surfers yelled, “Shark!” I figured he was probably joking or had seen a dolphin. However, 2–3 minutes later I was paddling to get past an outside wave of another set. At that point, I observed a shark briefly passing through a wave approximately 25 feet outside of me and diagonally towards the south. Another surfer was positioned near the peak of the wave and was only 3–10 feet from where the shark surfaced. The shark was moving parallel with the wave and had a prominent dorsal fin that was quite tall (approximately 2–2.5 feet). Due to the angle of the shark’s course, I could only see the front of its body, which was quite wide, and its dorsal fin. I think it was at least 6–8 feet long and perhaps longer. I observed the shark for 2–3 seconds and then lost sight of the shark as the wave crashed. After the wave crashed, I immediately turned around and paddled quickly, yet deliberately, towards the beach and did not panic. Two other surfers who introduced themselves as Luke and David (Luke was the one who had yelled “Shark!”) had already returned to the beach and described their encounter excitedly. Luke noted that the shark had passed closely to him and seemed to be following him before he yelled out. I later spoke with the third surfer (who had been close to the shark when I witnessed it) in the parking lot near Crespi and Highway 1. He had noticed the large dorsal fin surface near him. He also believed he had seen a large White Shark and that it moved in a deliberate, straight motion unlike a dolphin. He further noted that the shark was less than 10 feet from him when it surfaced. He too exited the water shortly after I did.”

Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Photo credit: Oskay

Shark Sightings Close Stinson Beach in Marin on Tuesday, August 11, 2009

matt — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:53:08 +0000

Due to two “reliable” shark sightings on Mon., Aug. 10, officials of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area have closed Stinson Beach (Marin Co.) for at least five days, starting on Tues., Aug. 11.

For more information, visit CBS5.com.

Photo credit: Stormydog

Shark Attack at San Onofre on Saturday, July 11, 2009

matt — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:46:24 +0000

After numerous sightings of one or more great white sharks in the past few weeks at San Onofre State Beach, a surfer was attacked on Sat., July 11. The following report was provided to SurfPulse by the Shark Research Committee:

San Onofre State Beach — On July 11, 2009 Brian Hovnanian and companion Lance E. were Stand Up Paddleboarding at the reef south of Dog Patch, San Onofre State Beach. It was 8:30 AM and they had been on the water 1.5 hours. It was sunny with little or no wind and an air temperature in the low 70s Fahrenheit. The ocean was calm and glassy with water visibility 4–5 feet and a temperature in the upper 60s Fahrenheit. They were about 50 yards from shore over water about 6 feet deep with a sandy, rocky bottom. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Hovnanian reported: “I was paddle surfing at the reef south of Dog Patch, with one other paddle surfer, Lance E. I have had many shark sightings of 5′ to 6′ sharks jumping all of the way out of the water at this same place for the last two months, as I paddle surf there a couple times a week. I had not seen any today and did not see this one coming. We both had just ridden waves in from a nice set. As I was paddling out, my friend was paddling about 30 feet behind me when all of a sudden it felt like something hit the back of my SUP, then slammed into the back of my left calf, forcing me to lose my balance and I fell backwards. The shark was now on top of my SUP and I was lying backwards on top of the shark, as it was on my board. The shark slithered off the board back into the water. This all happened so fast, and I believe when I fell on the shark, it scared it and it tried to get away from the board and me. I still had my paddle in my hand, jumped to my feet on my board and looked at my leg, to notice nothing had happened to my body or board. By now my friend had paddled quickly to me and could not believe what he had just seen right in front of him. He made sure I was OK; luckily I was, then we paddled back out to the line-up and caught a wave from the next set and paddled in thinking how lucky I was. I’m not sure what kind of shark it was, but it did have a gray back and white underside and was about 5 feet in length. It might have been a Mako or White Shark.”

By definition an unprovoked shark attack is “any physical contact between a shark and human, or piece of equipment being utilized by a human, without any known provocative action by the subject which might cause the shark to strike out.” This is the second authenticated unprovoked shark attack for 2009 from the Pacific Coast of North America. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Shark Sighting in Pacifica on Saturday, June 27, 2009

matt — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:16:34 +0000

The following report of a shark sighting at Linda Mar in Pacifica is courtesy of the Shark Research Committee:

Linda Mar Beach — On June 27, 2009, Zack Ehrlich was surfing at Linda Mar Beach, Pacifica by Crespi. It was 12:45 PM under a sunny sky with a temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. He was about 100 yards from shore. Ehrlich reported the following: “No other marine mammals were observed in the area. The seal was already dead when I saw the shark 15 minutes later. Did not look like a dolphin fin or a live seal. I was about 30 or 40 yards away from it. I saw the tip of a dorsal fin scrape through the water. The shark seemed to be feeding upon the dead seal carcass I saw earlier.”

Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Shark Encounter in Santa Cruz on Thursday, April 30, 2009

matt — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:54:19 +0000

On April 30, 2009, Scott Tapley was paddling at Soquel Cove, Santa Cruz. It was 10:00 AM and he had been on the water about 45 minutes. Air and water temperatures were estimated in the mid-50s Fahrenheit. The sky was clear and the ocean glassy with about four feet of water visibility. There were numerous birds in the area as well as two pinnipeds.

Tapley reported: “I was paddling from the Cement Ship to Pleasure Point and back. On the return trip, I was on a line between Pleasure Point and the Cement Ship, in Soquel Cove, about one mile from the Cement Ship and about a mile or less from Pot Belly Beach. The shark was swimming directly at me when I first saw it. At first I thought it might be an Orca, so I paused to let it get closer. When it was about 20 or 30 feet in front of me, the shark turned off about 45 degrees and I could see it better. It was a large gray shark, maybe 15+ feet, with 18–20 inches of dorsal fin exposed above surface. It was swimming slowly before submerging. It appeared to roll on its side briefly before submerging. It seemed to be coming right toward me and then veered off. I paddled hard for land looking back a few times but didn’t see it again.”

Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Pacific Coast Shark Attacks During 2008

matt — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:49:23 +0000

The following press release, provided by the Shark Research Committee, is a summary of Pacific Coast shark attacks during 2008:

For Immediate Release
January 12, 2009

Pacific Coast Shark Attacks During 2008

There were 5 unprovoked shark attacks confirmed from the Pacific Coast
of North America during 2008, which is slightly more than half of the
total number of authenticated shark attacks reported during 2007. The
victims were engaged in surfing (2), kayaking (2), and swimming (1). The
fatal attack on swimmer David Martin at Solana Beach in April was the
third fatality confirmed for the 21st Century, with the prior two
occurring in the month of August in 2003 and 2004. The Great White
Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, was positively identified as the causal
species in all five of the attacks verified in 2008. This brings the
total number of authenticated shark attacks along the West Coast during
the first 8 years of the 21st Century to 42, ‘more than five times’
the Twentieth Century annual average.

“Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century” authenticated 108 unprovoked
shark attacks from the Pacific Coast between 1900 and 1999. The Great
White Shark, was implicated in 94 (87%) of the attacks with an annual
average of slightly more than one shark attack per year. It is
compelling that since the year 2000 there have been 42 unprovoked shark
attacks reported from the Pacific Coast. This is nearly 40% of the total
number of attacks reported for the entire Twentieth Century and all in
less than a decade.

The most recent victim was Tony Johnson kayaking near Tomales Head and
Dillon Beach, California on December 20th. He was the eighth kayaker to
be attacked off the Pacific Coast since the first reported incident in
1989 and the 150th shark attack victim since 1900. The Great White Shark
has been implicated in 130 (87%) of the 150 confirmed unprovoked shark
attacks reported from the Pacific Coast of North America.

There were 36 shark attacks confirmed from California, which includes 3
fatalities, and 6 unprovoked attacks reported from Oregon during the
first eight years of the 21st Century. Surfers accounted for 32 (76%) of
the shark attacks documented since 2000 with 4 (10%) swimmers, 3 (7%)
kayakers, 2 (5%) divers and 1 (2%) paddle boarder. The number of
juvenile and adult Great White Sharks observed in the Southern
California area during 2008 suggests a possible change in their
population dynamics and seasonal site preferences. The number of
stranded marine mammal carcasses reported, specifically their location
and time of year, would seem to support this observation. The Shark
Research Committee will closely monitor this activity in the coming year.

Additional information regarding the Shark Research
Committee’s conservation, education, and research programs and how you
can participate are available at:

www.sharkresearchcommittee.com

Shark Attack in Marin County on Saturday, December 20, 2008

matt — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:34:56 +0000

The following report of a Great White Shark attack was provided by the Shark Research Committee:

Dillon Beach — On December 20, 2008, Tony Johnson reported the following:

“Lucy, Anders, Cristina, Bill, Gordon, Jonathan and I were returning from a beautiful day of paddling. We were all gathered just south of Tamales Head in front of Dillon Beach. The group was deciding on surfing options when I asked Lucy if she wouldn’t mind if I went in. While going in I remember trying to make a conscious effort to use proper torso rotation and form while using my Greenland paddle. When half-way through my right stroke, a Great White Shark, with a girth larger than the width of my 22-inch kayak, hit my paddle from behind with such force that it slammed me forward to the front of my deck. Feeling the turbulence on my boat I sat up in shock at the speed, power, and size of this creature. I wish there were some way I could relate, or explain, how fast this creature was in water. I was facing the beach with my paddle out of the water, holding it in preparation for a second hit and saying to myself, ’stay frosty.’ I was afraid to move and started yelling to my group that was behind me, ‘Great White’ – ‘Great White.’ I did this for several seconds before I decided to turn the boat around and head for the group. I stayed very still and slowly extended my paddle to turn towards the group. While turning the boat I looked to my right and there, 15–20 feet away, was the Great White, its dorsal fin out of the water. Its dorsal fin was large and shredded at the tip. The Great White was moving slowly, turning with my boat, this really caused me to panic and I paddled as fast as I could to the group yelling ‘Great White’ many times until someone heard me. We all gathered together and paddled in to Dillon Beach. While on the beach I examined the paddle and there were no bite marks, which I can’t explain.”

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.

Shark Sighting at Ocean Beach on Sunday, November 16, 2008

matt — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:22:28 +0000

The following report was provided by the Shark Research Committee:

On November 16, 2008, Ben B., and his friend Alex, were surfing the north end of Ocean Beach, San Francisco. They had started their first session at 9:30 AM, winding up at 11:45 AM when they headed to the beach for a few minutes of rest. They decided to have one more short session and returned to the water. They were 100–125 meters from the beach at high tide. They had been in the water about five minutes when Busse reported:

“Alex paddled up to me and said, ‘I just saw a fin moving slowly, and directly toward us from beyond the lineup, maybe 25 meters out…it could be a shark.’ He said the fin appeared very briefly, maybe five seconds, then it disappeared. He estimated the height of the dorsal fin to be at least 12 inches. He also saw part of the body around the dorsal fin and said ‘whatever it was, it had a very wide body and looks larger than anything I’ve seen out here…it could be a shark.’ About two minutes later, Alex saw the fin again and this time he went ashore. About three minutes after Alex had gone in, I saw the dorsal fin moving slowly diagonally, northeast toward the beach. The fin was at least 12 inches tall and moved horizontally at the surface. It did not act like a dolphin. After a few seconds the fin disappeared beneath the surface and I headed toward the beach.”

Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.