Shark Attack in Santa Barbara County

http://sports.espn.go.com/action/surfing/news/story?id=5715833&campaign=rss&source=ACTIONHeadlines

jalma not santa barbara. 

Santa Barbara County, that is

It was some 19 year old ucsb kid bodyboarder at surf beach.  poor kid. 

Without reading anything about this bite I knew that it was most likly Surf Beach.  Second choice would have been the Rivermouth, third Govts.   Notorious shark danger for years.  THE reason that even when it is good(which is rare), the lineup is empty.  But as one generation fades away and another generation moves in, the reputation of a spot fades.  People forget about what happened there years before.   They look at the beautiful natural setting, the inviting waves etc.  Chances are he had never heard anything about this spot or it's rep as Great White headquarters for SB county.  By the way in case anyone wants to check it out, maybe catch an evening glass-off.  It is due west of Lompoc.  Strange,  two recent Great White fatalities within 30  miles of each other. 

yeah man, that place is super sketchy when it comes to sharks. Today there was another sighting in between there and Avila(the last location of a fatality). I don't know if it was a white shark or not. I've already seen two this summer, one big, the other was super small, I don't know what's going on, but it seems as if ther has been alot more sea life activity this year. It's a super sad story though.

astevens---------Cherish your life my young friend.  It goes to show that it doesn't really matter whether you are alone or with a buddy. it can happen soo fast.  I lost a good friend on Maui a few years ago to a "Tiger" and muddy water.  If you feel the creeps for any reason get out of the water.  Open beaches like Surf Beach, Santa Maria R, Oceano etc. are always suspect.  I have been vibed out of the water at those places a couple of times over the years.  The dolpins that crusie Pole Eight and Oceano were always a welcome site if for no other reason that people always told me that they would chase off Great Whites.   I remember when I was a kid at Pismo Pier;  the lifeguards would use a megaphone to clear everybody out of the water and then go up in the old lifeguard tower on the Pier with a Winchester 30-30 to get a shot off whenever they had a shark siting.  I always feel a little safer inside a kelp line at a spot like St. Anns or the Ranch.  Although Governments has a long and well documented history of Great White incidents.

Thats insane that they'd try to shoot sharks. Wouldn't go very well today with PITA and all :)

Funny you should mention st. ann's, I always feel safe there, but a guy I know was bitten by a leopard shark in June (4 footer), and the sighting today was at the same place, about 1/2 mile north at silver shoals. Kinda murky there especially after a rain. I've spearfished near leopards in gaviota, and haven't run into problems, so it was probably a case of mistaken I.D. I have definatley been a little sketched out by all of this and have been playing it as safe as possible.

Plus,this is the time of year when the bait moves close to the beach bringing the whole food web with them.  It’s shark season on the central coast.  Be careful and like McDing mentioned, pay attention to those  creepy feelings.  Mike

I agree totally with McDing, if it feels “hinky” at all, paddle in, don’t wait for a wave. I thought of Will McGinnis one day this spring while out alone at my “secret spot” on Maui. Early south swell after a rainy night, murky water, etc. I realized I hadn’t seen a turtle all morning, I had a creepy feeling and I was noticing a strong fish smell. I never did see anything to confirm my gut feeling, but I didn’t get this old by not listening to that gut. I paddled in and  told my wife not to take her sup out, she agreed with my reasoning. The MOC catches their Tigers near this spot, so that worked on my psyche too. 

i spent  a  beautiful  day  riding  those  winding  lefts  all  by  myself one  day. it  was  definatly  on  my  mind  but if  you  don’t  get  over  it  and  just  surf you’ll  never  know what  you  missed  out   on.  my  friend  didn’t  want  to  get  in  the  water, but  it was  sunny  and  warm and  the  water  was  clear  and about  mid  60’s,  i  figured  you  couldnt  beat   it.  i  feel  bad  for  the  kid but  sometimes  you  should know  better, in a  wetsuit  in  murky  water  with  you  legs  dangling  in a  zone  thats  notorious for  sharks.  sometimes  im  glad  i’m  a  longboarder so  i  can  just lay  down  and   pick  my limbs  out  the  water. i  was  just  thinking  the  other  day,  do  fish  finders  pick  up  sharks,  if  so  maybe  take  a  boat  there  and  have  a  little  buddy  system  to  keep  a  look  out  for  sharks  in  the  area. 

I don't think that a longboard would stop a several thousand pound shark from attacking

Long Board !!!!!!  Shark ----UM! really big turtle ! Don't hardly see em that big anymore !!!! Yum!!!  Time to eat!!!

Longboard eh.  So will I see you out there this weekend?

I think it was about 20 years ago.  LA county.  Two people in kayaks were killed.  I don’t think they ever found the bodies.  I have a fuzzy memory.  A longboard isn’t protection, though.  It’s a Chevy van with teeth.  Mike

i’m  not  saying  it’s  protection.  it  just  make  me  feel more  comfortable   to not  have  my  limbs  dangling  in  the water.  as  far  a  sharks go  i  have  watched  them swim  right  through  a  wave  in  front  of  me  and  continued  surfing,  . it’s  not  gonna  keep  me  out  of  the  water  and  if  it  weren’t 300  miles  up  the  coast  from  me  i  would  go  out there  in  a  heart  beat  given  the  correct  conditions.i  might  be  nuts  but  i’m  not  stupid  and  like  someone  stated  earlier  on  this  post  it’s  all   in  your  gut,  you  naturally  know  when  you  are  in  harms  way. maybe  some  think  it’s  stupid but  like  i  said  you  gotta  get  over it.  i  tend  to  have  an  extremely different  view  and  opinon  on  everthing  in  life,  so  pardon  me  if   i  don’t  fit  into  you  group.

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I think it was about 20 years ago.  LA county.  Two people in kayaks were killed.  I don't think they ever found the bodies.  I have a fuzzy memory.  A longboard isn't protection, though.  It's a Chevy van with teeth.  Mike

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Yeah but the Kraken got them.

Yeah, that Kraken is a bad hombre.

To some extent I agree with you(and I'm not the member of any group or club).  Point is when your number is up; your number is up.  But a lack of fear(which is really defined as a "Healthy Respect") and the desire to surf barrels isn't enough to throw caution to the wind.  What I said previously should hold true for all of us;  If you are vibed out, get out.  Surf Beach is a nice natural setting that occasionally has rideable waves.  Like most places between Vandenberg and Cambria, very hit and miss.  Owning a boat and surfing the Ranch is a better bet.    PS  Know a little about a spot before you surf it.  Had this young man known about Surf Beaches' history he might be alive today.

well  agreed, knowledge  in  every  aspect is  a must to  survive  life.