Possible GWS at N. Monastery

[drbill]

Actually, an untrained person might "easily" misidentify a white shark, especially one in that size range. When I buddied up with Wyland at his request to film giant sea bass, we had a 14 foot white swim by us. I was busy filming, but I think Wyland could ID it without my help! Of course there have been large makos in that same area, too, according to several of my spearfishing friends. I've seen and filmed whites up to about 18 feet while off Guadalupe with Guy Harvey.

By the way... the phrase "adult cohort" is in error if I understand the way it was used.

 

[drbill]

Since Chuck mentioned thresher sharks, another story about actual mis-identification of species comes to mind. A group of three divers had just exited the stairs at Catalina's Casino Point dive park exclaiming about the shark they saw. I went over and asked one of them what type they had seen. He said thresher. Since that was unlikely, I asked him to come over to the Dr. Bill Mobile (my dive golf cart) where my Fish ID video was playing. I forwarded it to the section on sharks and rays, and just as I suspected from his description, he picked out the Pacific torpedo ray.

A second story about confusion of sharks is also from the dive park here. Sometime in the early 2000s we had fantastic conditions with great visibility. I was following a large giant sea bass with the camera rolling. I noticed it was heading towards a group of three divers towards the end of the park, and decided to stop pursuing it and let them enjoy the experience (they were somewhat rare sightings at that time).

About five minutes after I exited, the group of three came storming out of the water towards me. They were angry because I had chased "that large shark" towards them. Three more candidates to purchase my Fish ID DVD!

 

[kathydee]

Actually, an untrained person might "easily" misidentify a white shark, especially one in that size range. When I buddied up with Wyland at his request to film giant sea bass, we had a 14 foot white swim by us. I was busy filming, but I think Wyland could ID it without my help! Of course there have been large makos in that same area, too, according to several of my spearfishing friends. I've seen and filmed whites up to about 18 feet while off Guadalupe with Guy Harvey.

By the way... the phrase "adult cohort" is in error if I understand the way it was used.

Sure maybe an untrained person would have trouble keying out exactly which type of shark it was. However, I'd be shocked if they couldn't atleast ID it as some type of shark.

 

[Guy Alcala]

Yeah that was my first reaction to the story too.

I really doubt anyone would see a GWS and ask what type of fish it is.

Depends how close it was, and how good the vis was. Dolphins have been ID'd as sharks lots of times. Maybe they never saw "Jaws" or "Blue Water, White Death" ,and have never watched any of the PBS or cable nature shows I remember talking to a guy who believed he'd seen a 20'+ GW off the Big Pipe at BW in poor (5'-8' IIRR) vis; he later concluded it was a Basking shark, but who knows what it really was, or the actual size. All he got was a side to rear quarter view of a looong body sliding past in the murk.

Guy

 

[kathydee]

Depends how close it was, and how good the vis was. Dolphins have been ID'd as sharks lots of times. Maybe they never saw "Jaws" or "Blue Water, White Death" ,and have never watched any of the PBS or cable nature shows I remember talking to a guy who believed he'd seen a 20'+ GW off the Big Pipe at BW in poor (5'-8' IIRR) vis; he later concluded it was a Basking shark, but who knows what it really was, or the actual size. All he got was a side to rear quarter view of a looong body sliding past in the murk.Guy

Probably another big fat harbor seal .

 

[El Dude]

By the way... the phrase "adult cohort" is in error if I understand the way it was used.

It does sound a little bit funny. Would "adult cohorts" or "adult year-classes" sound better? Thanks for keeping me honest!

By the way...by your signature I gather you are not an MD. So does that make you a PhD, JD, DPA, EdD? If so, in what field/discipline?