Been quite a few sightings this last month in southern california, and now this? poor bastard http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/art...p.cfm?id=15032
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Been quite a few sightings this last month in southern california, and now this? poor bastard http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/art...p.cfm?id=15032
That sucks. Solana beach is my "home away from home" break when I'm in SD.
My fried Jim is tri training in San Diego right now.
He's in his mid 60's.
Ugh.
Hop,
your an ocean guy. I read some place, that La Jolla is a location that great whites frequent to have their babies, any truth to that? or can it be related to whales travelling north up the coast this time of year, and the obvious abundant amount of seals we have?
from surfer mag
ATTACK EYEWITNESS: Longtime Solana Beach Surfer Ira Opper Describes Attack
Interview by
Brad Melekian
Senior Editor SURFER Magazine
A man was fatally attacked by a shark this morning in Solana Beach. While details are still unfolding, we got this first-person account from long-time Solana Beach surfer Ira Opper, who was at the beach at the time of the attack.
You know, it was my morning surf check at Pillbox. All of a sudden, somebody—I thought they said somebody had a heart attack, and they asked the public works person to remove their truck from the beach access because they were there cleaning up. All of the sudden, you hear all the sirens, they went up toward Tabletops and then eventually one of the ambulances pulled in to Fletcher Cove and then there were about three or four people in wetsuits sort of in shock. And then a girl comes running up the ramp screaming, "He's bleeding to death! He's bleeding to death!" The paramedic calmed her down, saying, "There's people there, they came down from Tabletop, I'm on the radio, they're doing everything they can." They calmed her down. Within three to five more minutes, the lifeguards and the paramedics had the victim in the back of one of the lifeguard trucks, they brought him up to Fletcher Cove and probably for the next twenty minutes, they performed CPR. Administered whatever medicine that they do in that situation, and they continued doing CPR. Mercy Airvac landed on the beach, they came up and within 15-20 minutes of CPR, they sort of backed off. He bled to death. His whole lower body—wetsuit, legs—were shredded. I asked the Captain of the Lifeguards what he thinks happened and he said a "very, very large shark" attacked. I talked to another gentleman who was walking up the beach actually before it happened. It turned out he had walked up the beach and saw a sea lion on the beach that looked very distressed. Something you don't see too often around here, especially on the beach.
The triathlete crew were training. They said it was outside the surf line, so it was somewhere between Tabletops and Fletcher Cove. Older guy. Looked like he was in his late 50s, fairly great shape, fairly big guy.
This was about 7:30. Right in that window. Just down for my morning surf check. It was nice and quiet and then all of a sudden all hell broke loose.
I know the lifeguards began clearing the beaches, and the State Parks started clearing the water. And then there's lifeguards out there and helicopters and everything else.
Wow, that totally sucks. It's always been said when you enter the water, you are no longer the top predator. Unfortunately, wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong hungry shark and a bad case of mistaken identity. Hopefully this won't end in a "shark hunt", which of course, will accomplish nothing.
More here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,3429715.story
I don't know much about La Jolla being a GW breeding ground. I always heard about the mouth of Tomales Bay (Marin/Sonoma area) being a breeding ground but the whole "red triangle" of Tomales Bay/Farallones/Ano Nuevo should probably be considered a pretty hot spot.
Of course, anywhere you have prey congregating is a good spot to expect predators. That's why rivermouths full of salmon and seals are scary spots. Same goes for pinniped haulouts and rookeries.
I have heard that before too, although I don't know where. I think what I heard was that they USED to do that more often than now. There was a GW attack on a surfer at La Jolla Cove in 1959, the last fatal GW attack in SD.
It really does seem as if there have been more sightings down south recently doesn't it? Starting to burst my little safety bubble.
The big shelf off La Jolla is a big Hammerhead area, It drops of thousands of feet.
The article I read said they are warning resident not to enter the water because" when seals and other wildlife are beaching themselves, and you've had a fatal attack, chances are soemthign is out there."
La Jolla Cove and Blacks both have deep water very close to shore due to underwater canyons. I'm sure big lurkers and the food chain go in concert there.
When the Super Bowl was going down in 2003 in San Diego, witnesses saw a great white lay into a seal close to sure between Windansea and Big Rock.
Based upon the wound size inflicted this week on the deceased, a Scripps Institute expert put the shark in the 12-17 foot range, about the length of an average mature specimen.
I've also heard La Jolla was a great white pupping ground. When I lived in SoCal, probably about 2003-4 there were two juvi great whites that kept hanging around "Trails" at San Onofre State Park (right at the nuclear plant just south of San Clemente). The theory was they were attracted by some dead whale that got buried on the beach sometime before. I thought it was also thought they came up from around La Jolla.
They hung out for three weeks. I probably surfed 5 times a week just a mile or two up from there. Zoinks.
I remember that. I also remember photos in the paper of old, bearded long boarders surfing with fins maybe 50 yards away from them. "No goddamn baby shark's gonna chase me away!":D That takes a serious set of balls. The sharks never showed any aggression, they just hung out for a while. I remember surfing uppers at that time and being VERY conscious of every swirl in the water.
catch and release
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoid=33367849
^^^ so fake
Bossass, you will like this!! San O' is where I learned to surf as a little Bag O' Donuts. Check out how many sightings for 2008 http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.co...shark_news.htm
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Also, where I learned to surf. I think Trail 3 was my fav. After I got better, I spent most of my time at Middles and Churches. My SoCal surf career last about a year. I think I had moved up to Middles when those juvi's were hanging around.
Freaky shit though. I always thought San Clemente was pretty shark safe. I love that Salmon shark on the beach. I was just up in AK and telling everyone about the Salmon sharks in the water up there. Everyone thought I was making it up.
http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/art...p.cfm?id=15109
Another fatal attack in Mexico May 1st.