Looks like another gws attack again

OK sorry, and apologies to my SMC brothers for the prediction. I am not the only one who feels that way though. Have you seen any OG fishing there in the last 2 years?  Adam doesn't count.  I really brought this up because I don't want bad things to happen to my friends. Be safe and I will say a prayer for you as I always do every Sunday.

Maybe I'm not an OG, but I've been fishing there for a decade and continue to (though only once so far this year - last Sunday).  And I've been surfing SC/SMC since 1989.  I've seen 3 GWS - interestingly every one SINCE I got my shark shield.  All were non-incidents, but each one scared the crap out of me.

Everyone can evaluate the risks.  There are sharks up and down the coast.  There have been two attacks on surfers at Mavericks in HMB since 2000.  Where do you think there are not sharks?

You get in the Ocean you become part of the food chain. We have our share of GWS down here in San Luis Obispo, Southern Monterey counties. We have a large rookery here of Sea Elephants, and plenty of Sea Lions for food. Sightings have been many in the last few years.

Its not a "where are they not" thing, its a "where are there less" thing.  I share the same prediction as Scott.  I'm not sorry for it, just look at the facts, its not hard to see the writing on the wall- I dont need a math equation to tell me that.  Fishing from Capitola to the mouth of the Russian River is dangerous.  Do what you want to do, but lets not water down the fact that you might get killed by a shark there more so than in other places.   

Any insights?

Price just went up!

Unless someone comes to push them on discount 

That's beautiful..... Milk went out my nose!!

That's beautiful..... Milk went out my nose!!

Milk??? Really???????

That's beautiful..... Milk went out my nose!!

Milk??? Really???????

well, milk stout anyway.....

Just wondering... Is TC a potential sharky place? I fish by this rock where many seal chill on. Has anyone encounter a GWS there?

That's beautiful..... Milk went out my nose!!

Milk??? Really???????

well, milk stout anyway.....

 

Just wondering... Is TC a potential sharky place?

Yes.

Scott thanks for the synopsis. Unfortunately these threads & posts get buried quickly. Once again......it would benefit NCKA if there was a nice article, they usually don't get buried, written here regarding all of the info regarding the shark threat & kayakfishing NorCal. Thanks, jim

Saw this recently

Moss Landing State Beach  — On February 14, 2013 Larry Parsons, Santa Cruz Sentinel, reported the following;“Veteran surfer Mark Hull, age 60, watched a Great White Shark attack a California Sea Lion about 150 yards from a dozen surfers at Moss Landing State Beach at about 10:00AM. He was checking the surf line a quarter mile north of the harbor entrance when he saw a big splash about 100 yards offshore. At first, he thought a pelican had dived, but then gulls flocked to the site and seconds later, he saw a shark, 10 – 12 feet in length, lift a California Sea Lion out of the water, shaking it violently. Another surfer had just gotten out of the water near the spot where the shark and gulls were feeding. Hull told him about what was going on and handed him binoculars. The other surfer said he had seen a Sea Lion swim by when he was in the water. Word of the attack quickly spread along the beach causing surfers to exit the water. Hull said there was no doubt the shark was a Great White.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

The only encounter I have had in a Kayak was at Shelter Cove. My buddy and I were towing his surfboard. The water was flat as glass, we were about a mile off shore when the beast broke the water about 40' from us. It did a quick turn in our direction dove but did not strike our yaks. That thing was huge, way longer than my buddies 16.5' kayak. It was a long paddle back to shore.

To the guy who asked about boat length. I know of 3 people who have had there yaks hit. Each boat was in the 16 to 17' range so boat length is not a determining factor. The guy who got hit at Goat Rock many years ago did get cut up a little and required 30 or 40 stitches or so. That is the only kayaker I know of who did get cut up.

The Shark Research Committe has a lo of good info info
Wherever we go on the salt there they are.
Lots more from San Clemente Island, & La Jolla, way up into Oregon and Washington

Eureka  — On October 30, 2012 Scott Stephens, 25, was surfing about 400 yards from shore at the ‘Bunkers' a surfing break at the North Jetty Humboldt Bay. It was 11:50 PM with water and air temperatures estimated at 53 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. The water was 20 feet deep with 5 – 6 feet of underwater visibility. During a telephone interview Stephens reported; “I was paddling out when the shark came up out of the water striking the board and me simultaneously. I was pulled below the surface and could see the shark, from the head to the dorsal fin, a distance I would estimate to be about 4 – 5 feet. The shark began to shake me back and forth at which point I struck it just behind the eye and it let go and swam off.” He was assisted to the beach by Blake Barr. Ian Louth, an off-duty EMT, applied pressure to Stephens' wounds while they loaded him into Jason Gabriel's vehicle to be transported to the hospital. Gabriel drove the victim from the water's edge to the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Myrtle Avenue, where emergency personnel met them. He was then transported to St. Joseph Hospital, Eureka for surgery. The victim had about four 12-inch long gashes from his ribs to below his hips. The surfboard has a bite with a diameter of 14 inches, comparable to a 9 – 10 foot Great White Shark. This is the eighth confirmed unprovoked shark attack from the Pacific Coast for 2012 and the seventh from California. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
 Or this
Marina State Beach  — On June 27, 2012 Dennis Taylor, Staff Writer with the Monterey County Herald reported the following; “It was huge, it was battle-scarred, and apparently it was well-fed, say two veteran watermen who had a close encounter at Marina State Beach with what they believe was a Great White Shark. Skip Lombos, a surfer, and Dr. Alex Holmes, who was on a stand-up paddle board, got a good look at what they estimate was a 14-foot sea predator about 9:00 AM in 6 to 8 feet of water. Holmes estimated the shark swam only three feet below his board. The sighting occurred about 100 yards from the spot where Eric Tarrantino was bitten by a shark in October 2011 and Todd Endris was attacked in August 2007. ‘We were surfing Marina State Beach as we do every morning, and noticed an unusual amount of dolphin activity. They were actually riding the waves with us, which was a lot of fun,' said Holmes, a Monterey resident.‘ I was on my stand-up paddle board, with a really clear vision to the bottom, and happened to notice what appeared to be a large shadow moving toward me.' Holmes said he assumed the shadow was a large dolphin until it swam directly underneath his 10-foot board and he got a good look at the animal's movements. ‘The motion was side-to-side, not the up-and-down movement of a dolphin, and it was unmistakably a very large shark. I didn't get a look at its underside, of course, but it was pretty unmistakably a Great White.' Lombos, one of the surfers who helped apply a tourniquet to Tarrantino's arm in October, was in a nearby lineup with a half-dozen other surfers on Wednesday when Holmes had his encounter. He, too, got a good look. ‘Alex's board is a 10-footer and this shark dwarfed his board,' he said. 'It was real big, it was all scarred up, and it was pretty nasty looking,' Lombos said. Holmes said the shark that swam under his board was past him before he had time to feel frightened. ‘If I had realized what it was when it was swimming toward me, I probably would have been unnerved,' he said. ‘But it was already cruising away from me, non-aggressive, by the time I knew it was a shark, so it was more amazing than anything. It was a very big and beautiful creature.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
 

Moss Landing State Beach  — On November 5, 2012 Rodney Jacques, Meteorologist and surfer, was walking along the shark at Moss Landing State Beach, located between Salinas River State Beach in the South to Zmudowski State Beach in the North in Monterey Bay. It was 4:00 PM under clear skies with an air temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. There were 4 – 7 foot swells with strong rip currents in the area and an estimated water temperature at 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Jaxques reported the following; “While checking the surf at Moss Landing State Beach, I observed a dead seal on the beach. The seal's head was missing and completely severed from the body. The seal had been dead approximately 3 days. There were no visible signs of any other bite marks on the body…only the severed head. The seal was approximately 6 feet long and weighed about 200 pounds.  The seal must have been deposited high on the beach due to the tide and wave activity. There were 4 local surfers in the waters in front of the dead seal.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

In my opinion think about what a kayak looks like from the bottom my question is how many attacks occurred while moving /paddling and how many happend while drifting ? I've seen plenty of tv shows that show sharks scavenging eating something dead floating on the surface, whales , other large fish , dolphins , seals all float for awhile after dieing I totally think its mistaken identity of an easy meal,
I agree with the fact that all who go into the ocean take a big risk whether it be animal, or Mother Nature  , all we can do is be prepared as possible, I love to to fish from rivers and lakes to the bay or the ocean and I will do so until I can't anymore !

Sobrante Angler

I feel way safer on my kayak than I do on a surfboard.  A GWS attack is my only real fear out on the water so I prepare for it.  My boat has 20 pool noodles in it so that it will still float after it has been punctured.  I carry plumbers putty to temporarily fill holes.  I don't leash down my gear so I can climb back on without the fear of being tangled up.  I am friendly to all the power boats I see on the water, their assistance would be critical if a couple miles off shore.  And I bring a fully charged VHF radio to call for help.

My game plan: 

If I see one surface to check me out, chances are that it is just curious.  I'll pull out my camera, start videoing and paddle right at it.  That's right.  I won't act like prey.  Hopefully I'll get some good footage.

If I don't see it coming chances are it thinks I'm an elephant seal and its gonna hit hard from the bottom.  When watching videos of sharks attacking they roll their eyes back just prior to impact to protect them.  It doesn't actually see you at that moment but anticipates a big soft warm bloody meal.  Instead it gets punched in the mouth by a hard plastic kayak, many times losing some teeth in the event.  I think that most the time they'll get the fuck out of there.  Adam's encounter I believe is an anomaly.  They are not intelligent beings.  Now if a killer whale decided you were a snack, you'd be fucked.

Life is made up of calculated risks.  I for one would prefer to die chasing my dreams. 

Josh

Scott Stephens' surfboard is hanging on the wall at the lost coast brewery in eureka if you are passing through town stop by, grab a great white ale, and check it out.