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Pacific Coast Shark News 2010The following reports for 2009 have been provided as a public service. They are intended to inform our visitors of current shark activities along the Pacific Coast of North America. To review Pacific Coast Shark News for 2003 click here, for 2004 click here, for 2005 click here, for 2006 news click here, for 2007 news click here, for 2008 news click here, and for 2009 news click here.
Sunset Beach — On February 4, 2010 Brad Goldstein was surfing 50 yards South of the Gladstone's parking lot exit at Sunset Beach. It was 8:10 AM and he had been on the water about 70 minutes. The sky was overcast and the ocean choppy with 2 3 foot waves. No marine mammals were observed in the area. On several occasions small fish, maybe 2 3 inches in length, were observed breaking the surface of the water. Goldstein reported the following; My friend Arthur, and I, were just below the Gladstone's parking lot exit. As I was about to paddle for a wave, a guy on a stand-up board yells, 'A huge shark just swam under me!' He was about 10 feet South of me. I caught the wave and rode it into knee deep water. My friend, Arthur, paddles in and we decide to move about 50 yards South. After a few waves each, maybe 10 minutes later, we are sitting on our boards, in pretty shallow water, maybe 4 5 feet deep, talking about how scared the stand-up boarder looked when suddenly a fin came up out of the water 2 3 feet from Arthur's right leg. We paddle in as fast as we could. I catch a wave on my stomach and rode it in. Arthur had to paddle all the way in by himself. We didn't go back out but there were still about 3 surfers (all women) that kept surfing. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Point Arena — On January 31, 2010 Andrew Duhl, and his wife, were fishing off of the Point Arena Pier in Point Arena, Mendocino County, California. Air and water temperatures were estimated in the mid-50's Fahrenheit. It was 11:00 AM and the sky was cloudy. There location on the pier placed them about 100 yards from the beach. There were 6 surfers observed on the South side of the pier. Over the past few days a female Gray Whale, (Eschrichtius robustus), and her calf have been entering and exiting the harbor with the tides. They come to within 300 yards of the pier. Duhl reported; I observed a California Sea Lion, (Zalophus californianus) carcass floating near the pier when we arrived at about 11:00 AM. It was floating on the North side of the pier and eventually was carried out to sea with the outgoing tide later that afternoon. The animal was probably 5 6 feet in length and had a large bite, at least 18 inches in diameter, in the side. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Point Bonita — On January 28, 2010 Peter Barto reported the following; I was helping with my daughter's middle school field trip out at Point Bonita in Marin County, in the GGNRA (Golden Gate National Recreation Area) headlands. Out near the lighthouse, I was scanning the ocean with my binoculars. I spent some time watching a group of harbor porpoise as they appeared to be fishing a few hundred yards off the rocks. After a while, a more violent' surge in the water caught my eye. When I went to look through the binoculars, it seemed like I took in the following sight: a large animal, two-tone (dark on top, white on bottom), coming out of the water with a surge, chasing something. This was about 11:30 AM. My first thought was Great White Shark' but, never having seen one in the wild, I wasn't totally sure. I never was able to spot it again and after a time I noticed the porpoise were still feeding in the area. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Will Rogers State Beach — On January 13, 2010 Scott at SunsetSurf.com received the following report from Jack Pitts; I wanted to report two shark sightings in two days. A guy saw a shark breach on Monday (Jan 11, 2010) while I was in the line-up. He said it was about 200 yards out from the lifeguard stand area. When I asked if he had seen a bird, he responded 'I know the difference between a bird splash and a shark breach.' This occurred with pink skies at sundown. The waves were so good, no one left the line-up immediately, but there was maybe 4 other surfers out there with me as it got dark. Then yesterday (Jan 12, 2010), a British man reported the upper half of a triangular fin at less than 10 feet from his board. He said the fin did not have the curved shape of a dolphin, but the triangular shape of a shark. He was not familiar with the Great White breeding ground at Will Rogers, and thought the shark was not a Great White. The shark was described as smallish, about 5 feet. This occurred last night at sun setting hour. I don't think anyone else but he saw it. Talked with him extensively, he wasn't lying. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
San Onofre State Beach — On January 10, 2010 Troy Johnson and two companions were surfing Trail #1 at San Onofre State Beach. It was 12:30 PM and they had been on the water 1.5 hours. Air and water temperatures were estimated at 70 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. The sky was clear with a mild breeze and the sea glassy with 2 4 inconsistent sets. The water was 10 feet deep with similar visibility and a sandy bottom with scattered rocks. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Johnson reported; I had just taken two long rights and decided to go in for a rest. After about 10 minutes I was walking back down the beach to get back to the location directly out from the reef where the waves were breaking the best and I saw one of my buddies riding in on his belly. He had gashed his hand and it was bleeding pretty badly. There was a first aid kit in the back pack so he decided to treat his wound before going back out, as the swell was starting to pick up. I left him and started paddling back out when my other buddy came flying in on his belly, white as a ghost, motioning me to get out of the water. He was clearly shook up and almost shaking from the adrenaline rush. I turned around and started going back in and tried to start talking to him but he couldn't say anything but "get out, get out." I listened and made the difficult walk out through the rocks at low tide. Once on shore he told us what had happened. He felt his leash was too tight and he started yanking on it to because he figured it was wound around one of his skags. It finally released but it felt like something had let it go. He looked over his shoulder to see what was up and that's when he saw a Great White Shark swimming next to him, about 2 feet away. It slowly made its way under his board and then flicked its tail quickly and shot out and around the front of his board doing a u-turn. Just as he saw the shark coming back his way he turned and started paddling into a breaking wave which he rode all the way to shore on his belly. He is a veteran 25+ year's surfer and lifetime fisherman who has caught hundreds of sharks over his lifetime. He knows what he saw and it was a Great White Shark, 6 8 feet in length and 2.5 feet at its widest point. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Sunset Beach — On January 3, 2010 Ron Burkhardt was surfing at Sunset Beach near the Gladstone's parking lot. It was 4:15 PM and he had been on the water 2 hours. The sky was clear and the sea calm, glassy, with 2 3 foot waves. Air and water temperatures were estimated at 75 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. The water was about 20 feet deep with a sandy bottom mixed together with small reef and kelp formations. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Burkhardt reported ; I was out at the point of Sunset and the majority of surfers were behind me and to my right. There was a diving or research boat anchored about 100 yards straight out from the steps. My viewpoint of the shark was North to South. The shark completely breached about 20 30 yards a stern of the boat, reaching maybe 2 3 feet in the air and completely exposed. It did a complete roll before entering the water. The shark was dark grey on top with a white belly and 7 8 feet long. For the next 20 minutes I looked for additional activity but saw none. Got the next wave in and continued to look for activity for another 30 minutes; saw nothing. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Sunset Beach — On January 1, 2010 Kathy Caverly was surfing at Sunset Beach. It was 4:30 PM and she had been on the water about 30 minutes. Air and water temperatures were estimated at 65 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. The sky was clear and the ocean calm with 10 feet of water visibility and 1 3 foot waves. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Caverly recounted; I was sitting on my board between the outhouse and the point. The tide was extremely low. I was looking straight out to sea. There were about 4 surfers in my vicinity and maybe another 10 15 nearer to the point. Suddenly a shark jumped out of the water and twisted its body in the air and made an arc. Its belly was facing me...clearly white. The shape was distinctly "sharky," obviously not a dolphin. It was pretty far out, maybe 75 yards. Because of the distance, it is hard to estimate the size, but perhaps about 8 feet. I exclaimed pretty loudly, and I heard someone else closer to the point at the same time...so I was not the only person to see it. It made for an awesome New Year's Day surf. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Sunset Beach — On January 1, 2010 Stephen Gorum was surfing Sunset Beach off the South end of Gladstone's parking lot, 50 75 yards from the rocky point. It was 10:30 AM and he had been on the water about 1 hour. The sky was clear and the sea calm with 3 5 foot sets. Air and water temperatures were estimated at 60 and 56 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Gorum reported; There were a few other surfers' further outside, but more inside of my location. I was maybe 30 yards South of the people furthest North. Maybe 30 people in the water. I was scanning for waves when the shark breached with its mouth agape directly outside of me, 20 30 yards away. The shark made u-turned and twisted in the air exposing its belly, which was white. After it entered the water I said out loud, What was that?' A girl next to me said It was a shark!' I knew, but just wanted a reaffirmation of what had just happened. I paddled inside into a group of surfers and pulled my feet up, not knowing what to do. Not many saw the shark, but I talked about it for the next half hour trying to calm myself. I didn't get out of the water until a few waves later, about another half hour. When I left the water I discussed the sighting with the girl who had seen the shark and replied to my question in the water. The shark was approximately 25 yards from me but I had nothing for scale to get a good size estimate. It looked large, definitely bigger than a dolphin and wider, a big fish. I probably should've left the water immediately, but I felt it could've gotten any of us at any time if it wanted, so I decided to stay awhile longer. I know it was a blessing to see such a magnificent creature. The apex predator of the world's oceans... Incredible! Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee. |
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