Great White Shark attach in San Diego

Breaking news…

Beaches closed after fatal shark attack in North County

Oops. I didn’t see Lee V’s post below.

article i saw said type of shark unkown…

Confirmed by a respected professor from Scripps…adult great white between 12 and 18 feet long…My heart goes out to the guy’s family and friends.

Quote:

article i saw said type of shark unkown…

It has been reported that the bite radius (I think they mean diameter) was 22 inches, and the estimated length was something between 12 and 17 feet. That’s pretty big for the sharks in this area. They’re hoping to recover some shark teeth fragments from the victim to conclusively determine the type of shark.

I’m curious as to the data that lead to the conclusion to prohibit swimming between Torrey Pines and South Carlsbad for 72 hours (e.g. the probability that the shark remains within that area for that length of time)…or if it was just a SWAG.

are they forcibly clearing the water or is this just an advisory?

either way, it strikes me as downright ludicrous…not to say I’d have the cojones

to paddle out right now, but just saying…

from http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080425-1348-bn23shark4.html

"Officials immediately closed beaches in Solana Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas after the attack.

Lifeguards in two vehicles were patrolling Solana Beach’s 1.7 miles of coastline and a sheriff’s helicopter flew overhead Friday morning, telling people to stay out of the water. The helicopter would fly over the area until 6 p.m. Friday, then resume a patrol at 8 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Miller said that if swimmers ignore the ban, sheriff’s deputies would be called to enforce the order.

Beach closure signs also were posted. "

what is the point of closing the beach, it’s not like there are only sharks in the ocean for 3 days after they bite someone.

If i was a shark, and i ate a wetsuit wearing person, i would closely exemine any food before i bite it.

I agree. My heart goes out the the victim’s family, but closing the beach is unnecessary. Every time you set foot in the ocean there is a [very small] danger of being bit by a shark, stung by jellies, or malled by a group of bluefish (dont laugh… it happened to me). Just because a shark attacked someone doesnt mean the danger is any greater than it was an hour before the attack. Sharks dont go on man-eating crazes like in Jaws. They make a mistake, bite something that they shouldnt, and sometimes there are unfortunate consequences. I think closing the beach is more of a ‘cover our ass’ move than anything else. In the unlikely event that there was another attack shortly after whoever is in charge of managing the beaches would look really bad.

Quote:

what is the point of closing the beach, it’s not like there are only sharks in the ocean for 3 days after they bite someone.

If i was a shark, and i ate a wetsuit wearing person, i would closely exemine any food before i bite it.

There used to be a cartoon in the storehouse at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in which there were two large (but not shark-like fish, more like groupers). One had a pair of wetsuit clad ankles and a pair of swim fins protruding out of its mouth–and a puckered up expression as if experiencing a bad taste. The other was advising: “Of course he tastes rubbery, you’re supposed to peel them first”.

Quote:

are they forcibly clearing the water or is this just an advisory?

either way, it strikes me as downright ludicrous…not to say I’d have the cojones

to paddle out right now, but just saying…

On yesterday’s (Friday) evening news, the TV coverage indicated entering the water off Solana Beach (Del Mar subsequently included) was prohibited. An advisory covered the rest of the area from Torrey Pines to South Carlsbad State Park.

Beach closings make no sense. Sharks can’t read.

Quote:
Quote:

are they forcibly clearing the water or is this just an advisory?

either way, it strikes me as downright ludicrous…not to say I’d have the cojones

to paddle out right now, but just saying…

On yesterday’s (Friday) evening news, the TV coverage indicated entering the water off Solana Beach (Del Mar subsequently included) was prohibited. An advisory covered the rest of the area from Torrey Pines to South Carlsbad State Park.

Because the shark can’t swim down to La Jolla or up to Oceanside? I remember reading about a Great White they tracked. It crossed the Indian Ocean.

i’ve got a foolproof test if you’re at the beach and you want to know if there are sharks in the water…

taste the water…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

is it salty???..

.

.

.

.

.

.

there are sharks in it.

Quote:

i’ve got a foolproof test if you’re at the beach and you want to know if there are sharks in the water…

taste the water…

.

.

.

is it salty???..

.

.

.

there are sharks in it.

Not that there’s anything wrong with you statement, but for completeness, it should be noted that there are fresh water sharks as well. Plus bull sharks will swim long distances (~10-20 mi) up fresh water rivers discharging into the ocean.

My condolences to the family. Very sorry for your loss.

…statistics show that this won’t happen for another fifty years…

            I'm goin' surfin
Quote:

…statistics show that this won’t happen for another fifty years…

This is an ill defined statement.

Within what area are you saying that this won’t this happen for another 50 years? If from San Diego proper to Solana Beach, then there may have been two attacks within the past 50 years (a female swimmer was attacked in 1994 off Pt Loma, but it couldn’t be conclusively determined whether or not she was bitten before or after she died). If you include the coast all the way up to Santa Monica Bay, then add two more deaths.

And with probabilities being what they are, the next attack could be today, or it could be 100 years from now (50 years just being an estimate of the most probable elapsed time, and based on very limited data with a huge standard deviation).

Go around the cliff at Ano Nuevo and swim with the seals. I doubt you would last an hour.

The 50 year thing may be an average, but as seal population grow and sharks remain protected…you will see more incidents.

and if Jaws taught us anything it’s that you should close the harbor and keep

all the catamarans in dry dock.

Quote:

Beach closings make no sense. Sharks can’t read.

Quote:

and if Jaws taught us anything it’s that you should close the harbor and keep

all the catamarans in dry dock.

Quote:

Beach closings make no sense. Sharks can’t read.

They filmed jaws II right on my home beach. The surf was pumping for two weeks at our point break. You can see it on the scene where they pan up from the lighthouse. When they were done shooting the dead killer whale scene…they dumped cow cuts right in the break. It’s already sharky enough. Fun times.