Shark attack at Bean Hollow - 7/21/07

Oh, and btw Bill, GREAT job on the interview! 'Cept of course sharks are much more evolved and safer than the media imo.

hehehehe for sure 

Bill,

A Star is Born....just don't go "Hollywood" like Lindsey, Britney or anyone else that's "Too Hollywood for Us...right now".

Ten Interesting Things I Read on the Internet About Great White Sharks
1.)  California is a known area for great whites

2.)  Large seals are frequently killed by a sudden burst of high speed that can throw the seal completely out of the water, with ”bite” and “spit” behavior, which is viewed by scientists as a defensive kill.
   
3.)  Avoid paddling in murky waters and glassy surface conditions. Great whites stay mainly in near-surface waters, especially when hunting. The likelihood of an attack increases significantly when the water surface is calm, especially in the evening and early morning, when the sharks move closer to the shore in search of food. Attacks occur both in and out of the surf zone, at various depths and in clear or cloudy water, although sharks prefer cloudy water and areas near harbors, docks, jetties, bays, channels and rivers.
 
4.)  Great Whites may react to people in the water as territory invaders that need to be chased off, possibly explaining the many single-bite attacks attributed to great whites where victims have survived.
 
5.)  Blood is an attractant to sharks. Do not hang fish in the water over the side of boats. Most attacks occur during spear fishing because the blood in the water attracts sharks.

6.)   Keep a watch out for shadows and movement around you in reduced visibility. Leave the water if a large group of fish around you behaves in an erratic manner, particularly near drop-offs or in channels.

7.)  In the past, shark scientists have been divided on the theory that sharks can’t recognize the difference between a surfer and a sea lion, however recent evidence implies that sharks' senses are quite keen (making mistakes unlikely) and that one may attack indiscriminately simply because it's hungry.

8.)   79-90 percent of all attacks on humans occur at the water surface.

9.)  About half of all divers attacked report having seen the shark prior to the attack; the other half were caught unaware.

10.)  Avoid places where people have been bitten before, because great white sharks do attack in the same place twice.

I dunno...  Except for LM, that makes (easily accessible) coastal fishing south of the gate for me pretty much out of reach...  Bean is so rich and close, I dunno what I'd do without it.

I am thinkin that we're all "in play" anywhere from SC to Pt Reyes, actually Bodega area too - the odds might be higher in certain places, but are still heavily in our favor against an incident. 

My takeaway is that chances of a full-on relentless assault against a 14'+ yak are extremely, extremely low, certainly low enough to keep me putting out to yakfish in the red triangle.  (And when there are 18 yaks out instead of 6, we've just made the odds 200% higher.)  Drive-bys and test bites are probably a lot more likely, but don't make me nearly as nervous as the thought did before.

I am however taking the new precaution of having a VHF when I launch from surf.  While it was highly recommended before (esp. as my dry-bagged cell does no good for me in some places), I am now personally regarding it as essential equipment.  (Another precaution - I'm not going out alone, like I did 3 weeks ago there.)

BTW.. Thanks Chuck for (repeatedly) reminding me of this, my run-in, in the past few days!       It's drilled in solid.  My radio will be here Friday....

Craig

Good luck out there. The VHF and a buddy (not me) are good ideas. Although expensive ($200) and never tested against a GWS, a bang stick might be a consideration just in case you end up in the water with the water with the landlord and need to defend yourself.  The Navy tested them extensively and they do  work.

Scott

The VHF and a buddy (not me) are good ideas.

Aw c'mon, I thrink you are plenty big enough to make a shark full, Scott!   

Thanks for the ideas!  We'll fish again soon, somewhere...

Paddlefish's Grooves:

I asked Eugene about the nature of the marks on his yak from the 7/12 incident with the baby seal.  He forwarded his pic.  Clearly the marks are quite different than those on Dan's yak.  Dan's were either puncture (on the port side) or lacerations (on the starboard side).  But Eugene's look more like grooves, and they are clustered quite close together.  Thought I'd post them to see if other's, like Sean or Brian, who might know what baby seal teeth, or nails might be like, can make an assessment. Seems like it would take a fair amount of force to cut such deep grooves in the polyethylene.

That's a really interesintg photo of Eugene's kayak. An otter maybe? Creature from the Black Lagoon? It does look a little like claw marks, almost in the shape of a paw.

My takeaway is that chances of a full-on relentless assault against a 14'+ yak are extremely, extremely low, certainly low enough to keep me putting out to yakfish in the red triangle.

+1.  I can't wait to get back out there now that I'm intimately familiar with the surrounding coastline.  My VHF arrived yesterday.

Guys.... let's do our new site visitors a big favor and move any future shark discussions not specifically related to this incident over to the Official GWS Thread in our Fish Talk forum

Fine, but why is that thread in 'Fish Talk'? It's clearly some form of banishment.

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Main Entry: 1shark 
Pronunciation: \ˈshärk\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English
Date: 15th century
: any of numerous mostly marine cartilaginous fishes of medium to large size that have a fusiform body, lateral branchial clefts, and a tough usually dull gray skin roughened by minute tubercles and are typically active predators sometimes dangerous to humans
— shark·like  \ˈshärk-ˌlīk\ adjective

Let's get past this banter and get on with fishing.

Janice aka "Big J"

sorry not buying that one. fish talk is for identifying fish more or less. moderated by bsteves our resident fish expert.

This is going to make me sound crazier than I already am but BH has a vibe to it. It is tough to explain but I don't usually feel normal and comfortable when I am there. This was way before this incident

Bill, me too. I fished that place at sundown alone last year. got the super spooky feeling while out there...

J

Yep. I'm constantly looking up, down, and all around for Mr Whitey when I'm out there. It just gives me a weird feeling, and all this shark talk certainly isn't going to make it any less!

We should tell the MLPA folks that we will trade them BH, Davenport, Ano Nuevo and Piedras Blancas for Cambria, Carmel and Monterey and take away the temptation.

Scott

 

we wish though...

james

After three GWS attacks in a short period in Australia, many people started buying and using Shark shields. The website says they have been 100% effective in deterring GWS among others from getting any closer than 6 meters. The Electrical current they send into the water messes with the approaching sharks nervous system. The Kayak model is @ $650, kind of pricey, but..........would be nice to have for the peace of mind it would provide when fishing the extra sharky places.
I would like to hear from more users before I drop the $$ for one though.
sharkshield.com..check em out.

A bangstick on a kayak sounds like a bad idea.  Where would you store it?  In a rod holder?  On your lap?  Based on Dan's experience of getting dumped from the yak, you'll never reach it when you need it.