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On Sept. 29, a 13-year-old boy was diving for lobster off Beacon's Beach in Encinitas, California, when he was attacked by what was presumed to be a great white. He's expected to fully recover.
An empty lineup at the popular surf spot Beacons in San Diego. Photo: Courtesy of Brian Chernicky
Earlier in the month, Sept. 15, on the other side of the U.S., Cape Cod surf, 26-year-old Arthur Medici, died as a result of injuries sustained in a great white attack. And two weeks before that another Cape Cod man was bit near Longnook Beach.
With this flurry of incidents on both coasts, are we seeing an uptick in shark activity? Is it safe to go in the water?
The easy answer is as safe as it's ever been.
Put in context, these incidents are not necessarily out of the ordinary. In 2017 there were 88 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, including five fatalities, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) at the Florida Museum of Natural History. That number is slightly higher than the five-year average between 2012-2016, which stands at 83, but is still below the record of 98 recorded attacks in 2015. Statistically, the United States leads the world with 53 recorded in 2017 – compared to 14 in South Africa and Reunion Island (all notoriously sharky zones). In the case of Cape Cod, it was the first lethal great white attack since 1936.
Graphic: Courtesy of OpenStreetMap
At present, 2018 does not appear to be radically different in what we've seen in recent years. If it feels like it can be attributed to a triad of factors. First, according to ISAF, "the number of human-shark interactions is directly correlated with time spent by humans in the sea." Simply put, there are more people in the world than ever before, and that's going to lead to more shark encounters.
ISAF also notes that there is more study and communication between marine biologists and scientists around the world, which shark-related discoveries. And, of course, both mainstream and social media hunger for a good shark story, giving the term "click bait" to even worse name.
In general, most of the time. The reason for this is a little clearer after a study by a team of scientists from Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium was released last month. They discovered "White Shark Cafe" in the middle of the Pacific Ocean halfway between West Coast and Hawaii.
Graphic: Courtesy of Whitesharkcafe.com
According to the study, every winter sharks off the coast of California and Mexico (known as Pacific whites, which are genetically different than any other great whites found around the world) migrate to an open-ocean area approximately 1,200 nautical miles east of Hawaii . It's here that the sharks feed in a region known as "mid-water," diving to depths of 3,000 feet to hunt.
"The story of the white shark tells us that this area is vitally important in ways we never knew about," Salvador Jorgensen, a research scientist for the Monterey Bay Aquarium and one of the expedition's leaders, told SF Gate. this incredible story about the mid-water, and there is this secret life that we need to know about. "
In this issue of surfers, swimmers, and other oceangoers, it is believed that the sharks make their migration in December. They spend the months leading to their journey feasting on sea lions, elephant seals and other high-calorie critters. They're basically stockpiling the nutrition they'll need to make the long swim. In the San Francisco Bay Area there are an estimated 220 Great Whites feeding in the "Red Triangle" area of Farallon Islands, Año Nuevo, Drakes Bay and Bodega Head. (Guadalupe Island in Mexico is another shark-rich environment.)
The great white shark. Photo: Elias Levy / Flickr
The sharks will remain in this area of the West Coast. If that data is accurate, it is more likely to be surfing in the winter.
The fact is, that even fatal (and near-fatal) attacks in September, the ocean's as safe as it's ever been. Only eleven people have been killed by the California coast since 1952 when the first fatal attack was recorded. There's just more people in the water.
Anytime you step into the water when you're stepping into the food chain where humans are not the apex predator. A little vigilance in the lineup and heeding your intuition will serve you well. In other words, if it feels sharky, get out, come back and surf another day. Why add to the statistics and headlines?
More Shark Content From ASN
Shark Attack Near Popular Beacons Surf Spot in San Diego County, CA
Sharkbanz Releases New Data From Their Shark-Proof Products; Video
Shark Researcher Has a Frighteningly Close Encounter With a Breaching Great White; Video
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