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Pacific Coast Shark News 2012

The following reports for 2012 are 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 click here, for 2008 click here, for 2009 news click here, for 2010 news click here, and for 2011 news click here.

South Bay  — On January 31, 2012 Eric Billingsley was surfing El Porto in South Bay, Los Angeles. It was 11:30 AM and he had been on the water about 45 minutes. It was sunny and warm with a slight breeze and an estimated water temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The surf was 2 – 3 feet with a slight texture and an estimated water temperature of 56 – 58 degrees Fahrenheit. A group of maybe 3 – 4 dolphins were 200 – 300 yards to the north and closer to shore. Billingsley reported; “I was sitting on my board waiting for the next set. The location was in front of the refinery on the north end of the parking lot. I looked south and saw a dark charcoal colored, approximately 14 inch tall, sharp dorsal fin 15 – 20 feet away and headed directly towards me. I have seen a lot of dolphins when surfing, but the fin and the creature's movements appeared much different. The fin moved in a straight trajectory across the surface of the water for 7 – 10 feet then submerged. At first I started to paddle away, but then stopped paddling and put my hands and legs on the board. I did not see the fin again and stayed in the water for another hour. It should be noted that a few minutes after seeing the fin, I observed a solo dolphin in the same area.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Imperial Beach  — On January 24, 2012 Jeff Wallis, a professional surf photographer, was at Imperial Beach just North of Beach Avenue. It was 9:00 AM and he was observing numerous Dolphins (Delphinidae) and Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) near the surfline. Wallis reported; “Just prior to observing the shark fin surface the Dolphins swam off very quickly. The shark fin was on the surface, 15 – 20 yards beyond the surfline, for approximately 15 – 20 seconds and sped off very quickly. The shark resurfaced in the same area about 15 – 20 minutes later for a brief moment then was gone. From my vantage point I was about 200 yards from the shark. The fin was dark in color and 1.5 – 2 feet in height and the shark appeared to be 16 – 18 feet in length.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Cardiff  — On January 19, 2012 Tom Kaestner reported the following; “I was shooting my son surfing Cardiff Reef and the sunset Thursday evening at about 5:00 PM when I noticed something going on in the kelp beds. The shark was probably 200 – 250 yards from shore. It was plainly visible from shore, so it appeared to be massive. I'd guess close to 20 feet in length. There were whales farther out that originally caught my eye and that caused me to train my camera seaward and scan the area with my Canon zoom lens set at 400 mm. Then I saw something very big and strange. I then fired off several photographs. The birds were working in the area.” Pleases report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

La Jolla  — January 18, 2012 – Open to the Public – 7:00 PM Surfrider Meeting will be held on the upper level (2nd level) of the University Town Center Mall, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037. It is by Nordstrom. The following will be discussed;

Agenda:

A. Ralph S. Collier of the Shark Research Committee will discuss his ongoing research and collaborations.

B. Discuss ways to enhance genetic and microbiology assessments of sharks.

C. Consider ways to increase access to sharks that have been captured or have washed ashore – for tissue samples.  In other words,      can we better coordinate the flow of information, so these animals aren't just disposed of before tissue samples can be taken and      stored. 

D. What are the gaps in communication flow between the San Diego region and the rest of the state regarding this information?

Chatsworth, CA  — January 16, 2012 Shark Research Committee Press Release:

Pacific Coast Shark Attacks During 2011

There were 8 authenticated unprovoked shark attacks reported from the Pacific Coast of North America during 2011, which includes 1 special case. There were 5 attacks, including the special case, recorded from California and 3 from Oregon. The attacks were distributed in the following months; June (2), September (1), October (3), November (1), and December (1). If the Northern Santa Barbara County line is used as the division between Southern and Central California, 2 of the reported attacks occurred in Southern California, including the special case, with the remaining 3 North of the division line. In regards to the Oregon shark attacks, 2 occurred at Seaside and 1 near Newport. Activities of the victims were; 6 Surfing, 1 Kayaking, and 1 Diving (special case). The Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, was positively identified or highly suspect in 7 of the attacks, with a Broadnose Sevengill Shark, Notorynchus cepedianus, implicated in the special case.

The publication “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 108 confirmed attacks with an annual average of slightly more than one shark attack per year. The 8 cases reported for 2011 brings the total number of unprovoked shark attacks occurring along the Pacific Coast during the 21 st Century to 64. This is ‘more than five times' the Twentieth Century annual average of slightly more than 1 shark attack per year. The Great White Shark was implicated in 55 (86%) of the 64 attacks recorded during the 21 st Century. From 2000 to the present, 32 (50%) of the 64 confirmed shark attacks occurred during the three month period of August (10), September (9), and October (13). There have been 172 authenticated unprovoked shark attacks reported from the Pacific Coast of North America from 1900 to 2011. The Great White Shark was positively identified or highly suspect in 149 (87%) of the 172 cases. There were 8 fatal shark attacks confirmed from 1900 to 1999 with 4 fatal attacks reported from 2000 to 2011. The 12 fatal attacks represent 7% of the 172 total cases.

Victim activity for the 64 shark attacks reported from the Pacific Coast since 2000 are distributed in the following ocean user groups; surfers 45 (70%) of the documented attacks, with 5 swimmers (8%), 5 kayakers (8%), 4 divers (6%), 3 paddle boarders (5%), and 1 boogie boarder (2%). The number of adult, sub-adult, and juvenile Great White Sharks observed in Southern California during 2011 was less than that reported in 2010. There were anomalous oceanographic conditions during 2011, which might have been contributory to this absence. The number of shark-bitten stranded marine mammals reported, specifically their location and time of year, would seem to support this reduced number of shark observations. The Shark Research Committee will continue to closely monitor these activities.

Additional information regarding the Shark Research Committee's conservation, education, and research programs is available at : www.sharkresearchcommittee.com

Lincoln City, OR  — On January 13, 2012 Steve Harnack was surfing at Nelscott Reef near Lincoln City, Oregon. The reef is approximately 0.5 miles offshore and creates a reef break with waves frequently 20 feet high. It was 10:00 AM and he had been on the water about 20 minutes. The sky was clear with an air temperature in the mid-40s Fahrenheit. Water temperature was approximately 48 degrees Fahrenheit with 15 – 20 feet of water visibility and a depth of 40 – 50 feet. There were two jet skis in the area assisting about 8 other surfers. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Harnack reported; “I had traveled beyond the reef about 200 yards by duck-diving through several waves about 20 feet high. I noticed my board dragging as I moved through the water. I had a jet-ski tow me back to the beach where I noticed a section on the bottom of my board had been struck by a shark. A portion of the fiber-glass had been removed and tooth impressions were also present.” Additional information, including photographs of the board's damage, will be posted when available in a few days. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Palos Verdes  — On January 2, 2012 Ciara Covey reported the following; “I was off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 11:50 AM. The fog was heavy during the boat trip from King Harbor to Flat Rock. The fog lifted after anchoring and it became sunny and clear with the air temperature approaching 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Winds were calm. It was low tide with glassy water and a gently rolling 1 – 2 foot swell. The two divers I was with reported 15 feet of water visibility with a temperature of 57 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a large number of baitfish in the area. I was in a small boat on the outside of the kelp bed, in approximately 25 – 30 feet of water, about 200 – 250 yards off shore on the NNW side of Flat Rock Pinnacles near Bluff Cove. An undetermined number of surfers were in the lineup inside Bluff Cove, in addition to a couple kayakers and several paddle boarders passing by on the outside of the kelp. We spotted two dolphins inside the kelp near the shallows. They were swimming very close to each other, and one appeared smaller. We thought it was very unusual to see dolphins deep within the kelp bed. An undetermined number of seals were resting on Flatrock with a few in the water. Both spearfishermen entered the water at 11:15 AM. I glanced back up off the stern of the boat and approximately 40 yards away was a large, distinctly triangular, grey dorsal fin cutting through the water. The ragged back of the dorsal fin had a notch just below the midpoint of that edge. The dorsal fin appeared to be much larger than a person's head sticking up out of the water at the same distance. There was no tail fin tip protruding from the water. The shark was moving at a very good pace. There was a good sized bow wake on the dorsal fin. After several seconds of observation, the dorsal fin gradually submerged and disappeared. It was a silent and surreal moment. The shark had traveled straight into the kelp bed, moving perpendicular to the shore and in the direction of the spearfishermen. The shark was not spotted again. When the divers surfaced I called to them and informed them of the sighting. They headed toward the beach. I informed several surfers of the sighting and they returned to shore. There was an unconfirmed report of a dead seal on shore.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

The material contained on this Web site is shared as a public service and to further the scientific goals of the Shark Research Committee.  All text and images on this Web site are the exclusive property of the Shark Research Committee.  Information on this Web site may be used for private study, but may not otherwise be published, duplicated, or modified in any way without the prior written permission of Ralph S. Collier.