GWS attack at Gray Whale cove

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Great-white-shark-bite-man-swimming-California-16276525.php

I go to that beach often with the fam, but we never get into the water. Whales and dolphins get very close to the shore at that spot though…

The entire area is sharky as hell. Seems like there are a bunch of juvenile gws in the area, based off this report and from what I saw at Linda Mar a few weeks ago..

Wow, I've always reassured myself that the small ones won't attack a person, that they're still fish-eaters at that age. Perhaps this was just an investigative bite, but it sounds like a bad one.
I'm glad to have a Shark Shield.

Wow, I've always reassured myself that the small ones won't attack a person, that they're still fish-eaters at that age. Perhaps this was just an investigative bite, but it sounds like a bad one.
I'm glad to have a Shark Shield.

I've always been told the smaller ones are more of a problem than the bigger ones. The rationale is that GWS in the 7- to 8-foot range are starting to transition from a fish-based diet to a mammal-based diet, and that they tend to make more mistakes as they learn to identify their preferred food. Not sure if there's any data to back that up, and even if it were true it still wouldn't make me feel any better about being in the water with a full-grown one, but...

The guy who got attacked at Gray Whales was a surfer.



I've heard that they hang out near the surfline looking for seals...and probably why we often hear about attacks on surfers. Their pinnipeds looking silhouette doesn't help either. I tell myself that I'd be safer if I was out further out in open water, but no guarantees...SS always.

The guy who got attacked at Gray Whales was a surfer.



I've heard that they hang out near the surfline looking for seals...and probably why we often hear about attacks on surfers. Their pinnipeds looking silhouette doesn't help either. I tell myself that I'd be safer if I was out further out in open water, but no guarantees...SS always.

You know, so few people die. But the experience is the stuff that our deepest nightmares are made of. If I were hit by a Polaris attack or had a little chew on the leg in the surf zone I'm not sure what it would take for me to go back again. To those of you on this forum (Innkeeper) that have seen the landlord and continued to launch their kayaks, hats off!

just saw on the news where they interviewed the guy. He said the bite was gentle, curiosity bite.

The guy gave an interview to one of the news outlets. He said he was freediving for crabs and it was a quick, almost gentle bite.  And he described it as an exploratory bite, not an attack.

He definitely lost a lot of blood though. He tried to improvise a tourniquet which didn't hold. A fisherman tried to assist with another improvised tourniquet limited results. 

There are simple rules for applying tourniquets:
-Never around the neck 
-Avoid joints
-If your casualty is crying and begging you to loosen the tourniquet, keep cranking on it until they fight you. Then give it a couple more turns before you tie it off. 

Something to think about adding to your ditch bag.  If you happen to see a City/County Medic, you might ask them for a free tourniquet... all they can do is say No. 

The guy who got attacked at Gray Whales was a surfer.



I've heard that they hang out near the surfline looking for seals...and probably why we often hear about attacks on surfers. Their pinnipeds looking silhouette doesn't help either. I tell myself that I'd be safer if I was out further out in open water, but no guarantees...SS always.

You know, so few people die. But the experience is the stuff that our deepest nightmares are made of. If I were hit by a Polaris attack or had a little chew on the leg in the surf zone I'm not sure what it would take for me to go back again. To those of you on this forum (Innkeeper) that have seen the landlord and continued to launch their kayaks, hats off!

I’m a firm believer in your time on this rock is already plotted out, so if it’s your time it’s going to happen, do what you love…. Could be a shark, or a bus?!?! You want to die fishing or crossing the street??

The guy gave an interview to one of the news outlets. He said he was freediving for crabs and it was a quick, almost gentle bite.  And he described it as an exploratory bite, not an attack.

He definitely lost a lot of blood though. He tried to improvise a tourniquet which didn't hold. A fisherman tried to assist with another improvised tourniquet limited results. 

There are simple rules for applying tourniquets:
-Never around the neck 
-Avoid joints
-If your casualty is crying and begging you to loosen the tourniquet, keep cranking on it until they fight you. Then give it a couple more turns before you tie it off. 

Something to think about adding to your ditch bag.  If you happen to see a City/County Medic, you might ask them for a free tourniquet... all they can do is say No. 

I really like CAT-style tourniquettes.  I have this one in my ditch bag: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IR4NLO/ along with an Israeli bandage for lacerations and bleed stopper for puncture wounds where compression would be bad..

There are simple rules for applying tourniquets:
-Never around the neck 

I mean, there are some people for who I may not follow that rule 

I’ll also add that if 1 is good 2 is better. I use the CAT style. I keep 2 with me in the truck and they come out on the water with me.

if it’s your time it’s going to happen, do what you love…. Could be a shark, or a bus?!?

This analogy only works if we spend our weekends running across 101.

The guy gave an interview to one of the news outlets. He said he was freediving for crabs and it was a quick, almost gentle bite.  And he described it as an exploratory bite, not an attack.

He definitely lost a lot of blood though. He tried to improvise a tourniquet which didn't hold. A fisherman tried to assist with another improvised tourniquet limited results. 

There are simple rules for applying tourniquets:
-Never around the neck 
-Avoid joints
-If your casualty is crying and begging you to loosen the tourniquet, keep cranking on it until they fight you. Then give it a couple more turns before you tie it off. 

Something to think about adding to your ditch bag.  If you happen to see a City/County Medic, you might ask them for a free tourniquet... all they can do is say No. 

I have a one handed one issued to me when I went to the sandbox.  You can buy these, take them out the packaging and get familiar with them.   I know there is the CAT model and the Rapid stop, there are more, but I am not familiar with those.  You can go old school bandana and a stick, but I try to avoid that.  Another option, and available at REI is using a blood stopper.  It is a bandage with a clotting agent in it, that will aid in clotting. The combination of a  tourniquet first, and a blood stopper second, has amazing results.  It is often possible to remove a the tourniquet later (done by a professional, of witch the majority of us are not one of them, so don't even think about it). The blood stopper if I recall was $50 (maybe).  Not cheap, but what is your kids leg worth?

The guy gave an interview to one of the news outlets. He said he was freediving for crabs and it was a quick, almost gentle bite.  And he described it as an exploratory bite, not an attack.

He definitely lost a lot of blood though. He tried to improvise a tourniquet which didn't hold. A fisherman tried to assist with another improvised tourniquet limited results. 

There are simple rules for applying tourniquets:
-Never around the neck 
-Avoid joints
-If your casualty is crying and begging you to loosen the tourniquet, keep cranking on it until they fight you. Then give it a couple more turns before you tie it off. 

Something to think about adding to your ditch bag.  If you happen to see a City/County Medic, you might ask them for a free tourniquet... all they can do is say No. 

I have a one handed one issued to me when I went to the sandbox.  You can buy these, take them out the packaging and get familiar with them.   I know there is the CAT model and the Rapid stop, there are more, but I am not familiar with those.  You can go old school bandana and a stick, but I try to avoid that.  Another option, and available at REI is using a blood stopper.  It is a bandage with a clotting agent in it, that will aid in clotting. The combination of a  tourniquet first, and a blood stopper second, has amazing results.  It is often possible to remove a the tourniquet later (done by a professional, of witch the majority of us are not one of them, so don't even think about it). The blood stopper if I recall was $50 (maybe).  Not cheap, but what is your kids leg worth?

The CAT is similar in practice to what you were issued in the sandbox.  It's just a bit improved for general use.  Clotting bandages have come down in price drastically over the years.  A 4 foot QuikClot gauze bandage is $30 and a 2 foot version is $16.  Israeli bandages are also really handy and can be self-administered with practice.  I buy these ones off Amazon.

Whether it's a shark attack or you galf yourself in the femoral artery or find your bait knife sticking out of your thigh pulsing as a heart rate indicator... we have the opportunity for severe lacerations and puncture wounds without any help immediately available.  Be prepared to keep yourself alive until that helicopter shows up.