Saturday, March 29, 2008

Southern California White Shark Sightings

If it's April that can only mean two things here in California:

1. Spring
2. Great white sharks

Every year (just about now) the local media in Southern California runs with several stories about great whites on beach and near surfers with the Grunion Run and San Onofre beach being the prime site.

This week was par for the course:

"Tom Larkin is convinced that a shark jolted his surfboard and left what looks like a bite mark on the back end while he waited for a wave in the waters near Bolsa Chica State Beach earlier this month. After paddling in as his damaged surfboard took on water, the 26-year-old stock analyst from Manhattan Beach said he proceeded to freak out in the parking lot. I don't know what else it could have been."

But Huntington Beach lifeguards dismiss the reports as hogwash -- even though great whites have been spotted in the area in years past..looks like some Huntington Beach lifeguards will be looking for another job when the first video surfaces.

1 comment:

rob said...

Huntington Beach has had regular shark sightings for several months. After asking the question if Larkin's encounter was a hoax an orange county register columnist indicates this year is similar to 2002 when Great Whites frequented San Onofre after a blue whale was buried there. what is ridiculous is that she implied that Larkins story could have been an april fools joke but his report was in early March. The article goes on to say two whales were buried in Huntington Beach recently. History tells us this is a bad decision. Remember, the whale they believed was buried in San Onofre was the whale towed back out to sea by newport beach lifeguards. The whale was pounced on by two large white sharks. Please reconsider buring whales at the sand. It seems like bad public policy and an invitation to sharks to remain close to shore. It will take an attack here in HB, for lifeguards to admit there are sharks here. They believe in Solana Beach, God rest his soul.