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Shark Sighting at Ocean Beach on Wednesday, July 20, 2011

matt — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:10:45 +0000

On July 20, 2011, Myung Kil was surfing at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, almost opposite Beach Chalet. It was about 8:30 AM and he had been on the water 45 minutes. The sky was clear with air and water temperatures estimated in the low 60s and 50s Fahrenheit, respectively. The ocean was calm with decent swells for good small to midsized surf. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Kil reported: “I was waiting on my board for a set, looking outbound when slightly to my left, perhaps 10 o’clock and about 25 yards away, I saw a fairly large triangle fin a good foot to foot and a half and part of the sharks brownish back exposed from the trough of an incoming swell. It was moving perpendicular to me, cruised under the incoming swell and disappeared. I don’t recall much water thrashing when the shark broke the surface. I’d seen birds dive into the ocean for baitfish previously. I waited for seconds, registering that I had seen a shark, looked at the other surfers around me then saw a decent wave to catch back to shore perhaps minutes later. The shark had a very large dorsal fin, light and water shimmered on the back end of the shark, which was visible slightly out of the swell for a moment. In the light, and water, the shark looked brownish and I would guess 8 feet in length from my perspective.”

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

Photo by jutecht via flickr.

Shark Attack in Oregon on Thursday, October 28, 2010

matt — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:26:19 +0000

Who says lightning, or sharks, don’t strike twice? The following report was provided courtesy of the Shark Research Committee:

Florence, OR — On October 28, 2010 Seth Mead and Gus Gates were surfing 75 yards from shore and about 100 yards from the North Jetty of the Siuslaw River at Florence, Oregon. It was 3:20 PM and they had been on the water 5–10 minutes. The sky was overcast with a light southeast breeze and an estimated air temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The sea was calm with a 4–6 foot swell over a sandy ocean bottom 15 feet deep with poor visibility and an estimated temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit. An undetermined number of Harbor Seals were observed near shore with one animal dead on the beach. Gates reported the following:

“I was paddling out on my surfboard to where my friend Seth was surfing, approximately 100 yards north of the North Jetty in Florence. I was watching him as he was paddling back out after catching a wave (his first and only after about 10 minutes in the water) from a distance of about 50 yards, all of the sudden I saw a bunch of commotion and a large grey dorsal fin and the shark’s tail out of the water next to Seth. A wave in between us blocked my view for an immediate second as I contemplated what I had just seen. When Seth reappeared he yelled, ‘paddle to the beach now!’ and we both paddled as hard as we could and caught a wave on our bellies. Seth was totally unharmed physically, minus the loss of a favorite surfboard. No rescue was needed, Seth was relieved that he was not hurt and wonders why sharks seem to like him so much. I told the Coast Guard officer who was on the beach about the encounter and asked that she notify others in the event that they might paddle out.”

Seth Mead was attacked, but uninjured, by a White Shark on 20 September 2004 while surfing at Gold Beach, Oregon. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Photo: hermanusbackpackers (flickr)

Numerous Shark Encounters in California, August 14–16, 2010

matt — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:51:35 +0000

The Shark Research Committee has sent us a number of reports of shark encounters in the past week. We tend to only post the reports in central and northern California, as the one below from Pigeon Point, but this much activity raises interest along the entire state’s coast. Old Whitey seems to have it in for kayakers this year.

San Onofre State Beach — On August 16, 2010 Abby Joseph and her son were Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Dog Patch, San Onofre State Beach. It was 8:30 AM and they had been on the water about 10 minutes. The sky was overcast with a light fog. Air and water temperatures were estimated in the mid-60 Fahrenheit. The ocean was flat and glassy with small waves. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Joseph reported:

“I was Stand Up Paddle Boarding with a 10′ 3″ board, orange bottom, yellow paddle. I first saw the shark when I had just paddled out. I noticed a fin about 20 feet out, Northwest from my location. I was pretty much by myself, except for my son who was nearby on a longboard. There was a group of about five standup paddlers and watercraft South of me. I pointed out the fin to my son. He did not see it. I saw the fin disappear, and did not see the shark swim away. I just thought I may have been imagining something. I continued to paddle around and catch waves. A group of guys were on the South end of Dog Patch and they remarked that a shark was swimming right by where I had been and told me to stay in the group and not fall off the board. The guys who talked to me had gone in. I kept talking to my son about it and he said if I really saw a shark I wouldn’t still be in the water. Right then, we heard some guys in the water talking about there being a ‘big one.’ I looked over and about 40 feet away saw the shark swimming through the group of SUP’s and kayaks/watercraft. I was able to see the fins and by the way the shark moved it was clearly not a dolphin. The dorsal fin was triangular, with part cut out. The second time I saw the dorsal fin, another fin, and the tail were also visible. It just skimmed the water and swam in and out of their group within just feet of the men. My son and I got out of the water. I think we had enough for the day. On the beach, I talked to the guys who had seen the shark. One of the men who had been near the shark said that it was about 10 feet long, which he said was as long as his paddle board.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

La Jolla — On August 15, 2010 Mike Lee, Staff Writer, Union-Tribune, San Diego, posted the following:

“Shark sightings prompt warnings at La Jolla. San Diego lifeguards are warning beachgoers to be alert after two reported sightings of a possible Great White Shark on Sunday afternoon, one by a kayaker and the other by a lifeguard, said Maurice Luque, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman. He said lifeguards are advising beach visitors on Monday ‘to use their own judgment as to whether or not they want to go into the water.’ The advisory spans the area from La Jolla Cove to the Scripps Pier. It is among the most heavily used coastal zones in the region, drawing swimmers, kayakers, sun bathers and others. The first incident was Sunday morning when a kayaker said he spotted a shark about two miles offshore that was longer than his boat, said Lifeguard Sgt. Rich Stropky. At about 4:30 PM lifeguards in the main tower spotted a fin roughly 50 yards offshore near Tower 30 at the Southern end of Kellogg Park. Stropky said they just saw the fin for a couple of seconds, but it was ‘in character with a shark, not in character with a porpoise.’ Lifeguards put an extra patrol boat in the water on Sunday afternoon and plan to continue precautionary measures on Monday. ‘We are not saying stay out of the water. We are saying this is a little unusual,’ Stropky said. ‘We know that there are sharks out there in the water. What is unusual about this is that it came so close to the shore in an area where there are swimmers in the water.’ Fear of sharks runs deep partly because, April 25, 2008, a swimmer was killed by a Great White Shark during a group workout near Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach.“ Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Pigeon Point — On August 14, 2010 Adam Coca was kayaking off Bean Hollow Beach just North of Pigeon Point, California. The following was obtained from Adam Coca’s written description with additional information provided by Allan Bushnel, Journalist, Santa Cruz Sentinel:

“Coca said, I was South of Bean Hollow Beach off those beaches toward Pigeon Point on the San Mateo coast. I stopped to fish in about 30 feet of water when I felt the shark strike the nose of my boat from below, like boom, then KABOOM! It flipped the boat over and I was half-way in the water. The shark was chewing on the bow of my boat while swimming in a circle. We must have done three or four circles like that with the shark pushing and chewing on my boat. I was finally able to climb atop my boat, while the shark continued to chew on the nose. My boat is 13 feet in length and the shark was at least as long, maybe longer. The Great White Shark became tangled in my leash and might have been distracted by the flailing paddle, which it did bite and severe my leash. The shark submerged and disappeared. I flipped my boat over and jumped in and hung on to the rails and braced myself, waiting for the next strike, which never came. I had made a distress call on my VHF radio which brought other kayakers to my location quickly. They helped me collect my floating gear that had been dislodged from the kayak when it flipped over. The bite marks on the bottom of the boat measured 18 inches at the widest portion of the arc, and the individual tooth marks were about 2 inches apart.” This is a preliminary report. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. This represents the fourth, authenticated, unprovoked shark attack from the Pacific Coast for this year. It is the second attack on a kayaker in less than two weeks. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Point Dume — On August 14, 2010 Gerry Wallfesh reported the following:

“This morning I was SUP surfing at Little Dume in Malibu. I was paddling back to Westward Beach around 11:30 AM when I saw what looked like a Great White Shark. I was approximately 200 feet offshore near the entrance to Point Dume when I saw the shark. I observed the shark swim towards my board and then veer further offshore as we passed one another. My board is 10′ 6” and I would estimate the shark to be 8 – 10 feet in length with a grayish black color. Waves were 1 – 3 feet and there was a 1 – 2 foot swell/chop when I was paddling back to Westward Beach. Approximately 2 – 3 minutes after my sighting, as I continued my paddle back, there were a few Dolphins nearby that were slapping their tails against the ocean surface repeatedly. In addition, approximately 15 minutes after the sighting, I saw another pod of Dolphins near Tower 5 at Westward Beach. There were approximately 10 Dolphins in the pod and they were maybe 50 feet offshore. They remained in this spot for a few minutes.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Sunset Beach — On August 14, 2010 Jonathan Cohen was surfing at Sunset Beach, California. It was 8:30 AM and he had been on the water about 20 minutes. Air and water temperatures were estimated in the upper-60s Fahrenheit. The sky was overcast and the surf was described as ‘slight onshore.’ No marine mammals were observed in the area. Cohen reported: “I was sitting with five or so other surfers at the North end of Sunset Beach about 40 yards offshore. About 100 yards from us toward the horizon a shark breached completely out of the water, shot straight up, then flipped back into the sea. From our distance it was difficult to make out any details other than its underside was white and it was easily 6 feet in length.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Photo: Michael Heilemann

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.

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 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 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 Friday, September 19, 2008

matt — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:13:01 +0000

More shark activity neart the Sloat Blvd. location of Ocean Beach was reported on Fri., Sept. 19th. to the Shark Research Committee. The SRC notes that this sighting would seem to provide some additional evidence to suggest that a sub-adult white shark is utilizing this location as a pathway to, or as an area with, a prey population.

The following is the report SurfPulse received from the SRC:

On September 19, 2008, Evan Kinkel was surfing at Ocean Beach near Sloat Blvd., San Francisco. It was 9:30 AM with a sunny sky and light winds with a 3–4 foot south swell. Air and water temperatures were estimated at 70 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit respectively. Kinkel reported:

“I had been in the water about 45 minutes prior to a large fishing boat passing north of my location just outside the breakers. Seagulls circled and dove behind the boat and you could certainly see the chum that they were after. The thought did occur to me that seagulls wouldn’t be the only marine life these fishermen were attracting. Not five minutes later a 10–12 foot White Shark was thrashing just outside the line-up and I wasn’t the only one to notice. Myself and some others paddled in while others chose to remain in the water; the waves were good, so I suppose they where willing to risk it. I also alerted my sighting to surfers on the beach about to head out.”

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.