February 19th, 2010
Sharks Live Here
Great White Shark caught leaping from the water near Malibu, California in October of 2009.
The Pacific Coast Shark Research Committee keeps records of all reported shark encounters along the Pacific coastline on their website. Nine encounters have already been reported this year.
We’re not sure how much the California Board of Tourism pays to keep this information under wraps but it must be significant because nearly every person we mention it to has never heard about it. However, this is a website every surfer, swimmer and ocean goer should know about and check regularly. Think shark encounters are rare in California? Think again.
A string of Great White Shark encounters in Los Angeles have been reported most recently. Here are some excerpts from those reports:
“…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.”
“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 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!”
For more information, see their website at http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/. And don’t forget to have a great time at the ocean!
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