did anybody see the San Diego Union-Tribune last Friday? there’s an column called “Outdoors” by Ed Zieralski in the Sports section, p. D-8, with a report of a great white shark attacking a seal off Windandsea on Superbowl Sunday. Here’s a couple of quotes: Dente, who had been driving down Nautilus, told Barringer he saw the shark rise from the water and throw the seal several yards through the air. The two of them watched the spectacle, Barringer through binoculars, for 10 to 15 minutes. Both men said surfers were in the water at the time and not far from the attack scene. “Not one of the surfers saw anything,” Dente said. “Their point of view is so low and they’re focusing on other things.” “This is as big a shark as I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been diving all over the world,” Dente said. “To see one eat at my favorite surfing beach . . . I felt privileged to see it.” to read the full story click the link below. http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20030207-9999_1s7outdoors.html
I knew this was going to happen as soon as the City turned the Children’s Pool into a freaking rookery for those smelly bags of blubber. If there is food, the Men in Gray Suits will find it and start hanging around for more. Just the thought of those guys at Boomer’s floating outside like lures gives me the creeps. Another gentle reminder about where the surfer’s position is in the food chain (both in and out of the water).
…spit…blah…ugh! Too bony…no thanks!
If Dente felt priviliged to see the shark atack in La Jolla, he should come up here to Nor-Cal and feel privileged to see big old seals on the beach with their head bitten off or be sitting in the line-up and have a mutilated seal carcass bump into you (happened to me a month ago) I can’t shake that image from my mind.
on a flat fall day i went for a paddle, started at the cowell’s stairs and up by Mitchell’s saw a headless carcass in the kelp-I turned around and went back. Mr. Grim? they’re the locals-we’re the kooks
The closest I ever came to one of these bad boys was surfing at Waddell Creek with one other guy. I had just taken a wave and was paddling back out when the other guy started freaking out, and pointed at a BIG dorsal fin about 40 yards away. Needless to say you’ve never seen anyone move so fast getting the rest of the way to the beach! The day before there had been probably 50 surfers in the water, so I felt pretty safe due to the number of targets. With only two of us out there, hmm, maybe that wasn’t too smart… no doubt, NorCal/Red Triangle surfing is more hazardous than SoCal, at least as far as sharks go.
These guys in the grey suits bring a whole new meaning to the term “localism.”
Although the marine biologists will deny it 'till their deaths, the white shark problem along the near shore was caused, in large part, by the re-establishment of the elephant seal rookery at Ano Nuevo and the subsequent peniped protection act. Before the sudden jump in food sources, the men in suits had no reason to venture far from the Farallons. It’s just a matter of time down here in S.D.
I seem to remember an attack at Paradise Cove in the late 80s-kayaking honeymooners if I remember correctly. Anyway, I would hope that surfing would inspire a love of the ocean and nature in waveriders- if restoration of marine mammal rookeries causes increase in shark numbers, so be it. Is our surfing more important than the health of the planet? I think not. I have seen the toothy one at Waddell and at Gazo’s both close to Ano Nuevo.
As a longtime La Jolla beach user, I was there way before the seals ‘took over’ children’s pool area a few years back, and used to snorkel that preserve area. Those stinking seals have permanently polluted the south cove area next to the shores(a great surf area), and they will eat your catch off your hook as your reeling it in on the half-day boats that frequent the outside waters there. Until you tree huggers have been in the water with something that can eat you, you can’t say leave the seals alone. They are basically good for nothing, they are shark bait, and they look just like you in your black wetsuit. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna throw cherry bombs at them, like we used to in the eighties from the fishing boats, but there is no benefit to having them sh@tting all over your beach or biting your kid or polluting the local water! Watching someone get chewed by a shark is horrible and I’ve seen it on TV, makes me want to sh@t myself!!! I’m really surprised no ones got nailed yet, because people free swin the pool to the pier all the time like a human snack!!!
Where is it written that man isn’t part of the food chain, but somehow presides over it? The image works because man is really part of the food chain, but resides at the top of the food chain. Where is it written that man’s place is to be eaten by hungry sharks? Bullshit. We can prevent ourselves being killed byhungry sharks as we can prevent ourselves being killed by other people.
Noodle- those were good thoughts- heres a few more: When out surfing, we should pause to ask ourselves "Do I feel lucky?" ....... Level 1) Humans are lower life forms (we deserve to be eaten) Level 2) Humans are just fellow creatures (we should all be vegetarians) Level 3) Humans are superior beings (Im hungry, hey whats for lunch?) (I know which level Im on… I love shark steak!)
Yo Steiny: We’ll give you the wave of your choice if you float around Middle’s while we surf inside…
Yeah, if you wanna thrash around on a boogie board at waddell reef while we surf the beachbreak. up our way its the sea lions that are the pain in the butt, stealing salmon off the hook and chomping on steelhead and salmon at the rivermouths. Maybe if we bought back the grizly bears to patrol the rivermouths and keep the sea lions at bay(or out of bay). Isn’t there a windansea guy who catches thresher sharks off his paddle board off the Scripps Pier? When I was a kid we used to fish on the barge straight off the Malibu Pier and first point, lots of sharks were caught there.I remember summer 66 or 67 a big ( I mean BIG) hammerhead being pulled up. Right off first point. We paddle a bit and the sealions act pretty aggressive when you get close. Anyway,I don’t have an answer-I am annoyed by sealions regularly and I don’t want to be sharkfood but I can’t really say “get rid of the damn seals” either.
suggestion for the Pumphouse boyz: print out the news article and post it on the shack. Might help with crowd control for a while!
Anyway now we are getting giant shark siteings while at the same time getting prepared for terrorist attack, what the f@ck is going on? Worrying about kooks was plenty, now this!!! I gotta go shape>>>>>>>
“The essence of true wilderness is big mammals that can eat you.” Edward Abbey Use “big sharks” for mammals…