Recent Increase In Great White Encounters SoCal

[AZTinman]

I tend to agree that the data set is really too small to draw conclusions from. The September 29, 2000 - November 22, 2013 data lists one fatality for fifty-one attack incidents involving surfing. The fifty-one doesn't include other incidents which involved the use of surf boards like boogie boarding, kite boarding and paddle boarding. Four attack incidents involving scuba diving are listed. One fatality in fifty-one and one fatality in four does not create much valid comparison data.

Would the data reflect differences if there had been more scuba divers in the water and fewer surfers? Surfing is undoubtedly more popular than scuba diving in Southern California. It is probably not much of a stretch to assume that with more surfers in the water there are more opportunities for ole whitey to chomp on them than divers. Are the increases in GWS encounters simply due to increased numbers of people engaging in ocean sports?

I think a large segment of the diving community has come a long ways in understanding, appreciating, and being awed by sharks. Several months ago, I was on a dive boat which pulled into a dive site. As the crew prepared to drop anchor, several hammerheads were spotted. Almost every diver on the boat hurried gearing up in an effort to get in the water with those hammerheads. I doubt that would have been their reaction thirty years ago. This said, I am not sure I would have seen the same flurry of activity to get into the water quickly if ole whitey had been there instead of those hammerheads.

-AZTinman

 

[Peter_C]

Four attack incidents involving scuba diving are listed. One fatality in fifty-one and one fatality in four does not create much valid comparison data.

You guys are getting your data wrong again. Most are not "scuba divers", but rather "free divers" (IE: Randy Fry in Fort Bragg, and the Carmel incident) and commercial divers. One commercial diver was right at the side of his boat at a known hang out for Whitey. He was not using his hookah at the time, but getting ready to enter the boat and was on the surface.

So how many "Scuba Divers" have actually been bitten with injuries? I only know of Marco Flagg, but there may be others. If you also read the statistics 50% of the bitten "divers" were hunters, and had fish on their stringers. A couple of divers under water were tasted, but spat out without injury. One at the Breakwater area in Monterey, and another urchin diver at the Farallon's had his fin tasted.

Here is some reading material for you.
When man is the prey

 

[AZTinman]

Sorry Peter, I don't recall seeing 'free diving' listed in the data provided in the post. Nor do I see any reference to 'underwater hunting' or incidents involving 'fish on stringers'. How did I miss the data labeled 'tasted'. The reality is that there is no descriptor information regarding details of the incidents in the data provided.

How exactly does one 'get data wrong again' when there's little data to draw conclusions from? I don't think there's any error in drawing the conclusion that the data provided is too small to really draw any accurate conclusions from. I believe a couple of us commented about this issue. I think the information provided in your post simply illustrate the point that there's not enough information to draw any conclusions from.

The original topic seemed to be related to the perception that GWS encounters are on the rise in Southern California. Please keep in mind that I use the word 'perception' as no one has offered any data to prove that GWS encounters are actually on the rise in Southern California. If there has been an increase in GWS encounters, I suspect it's related to increased numbers of people who are engaging in ocean sports. Of course, I offer no data to back this comment; it's simply my opinion... flame away!

-AZTinman

 

[Peter_C]

No flames in a civil discussion. I do want you guys to lessen your fear and enjoy your dives though

There actually is a lot of data presented in the links above, but some must be researched out and you would need to know the names of the people that were bitten and the where and hows. Not all of it is pieced together in one place though. Some of the incidents are campfire talk. IE you have probably never heard of the guys at Still Water and Fort Ross that were free diving and followed by the Landlord. Most of those interactions are just posted into forums like these or chatted about between friends, but never logged as a statistic.

In reading about sharks and people interactions for years I have gleaned just a teeny tiny bit of info, and I started worrying about sharks while surfing long ago, before I ever went scuba diving. One of our local surf sites, Salmon Creek, has had more than a few incidents, and my neighbor down the street was bitten while body boarding at Stinson Beach. We dive in the Red Triangle, and often places that sitings have taken place. Although I have heard the "music" it is not the biggest concern when diving.

 

[Keith.M]

Although I have heard the "music" it is not the biggest concern when diving.

That is a great quote Peter!

 

[AZTinman]

No fear here Peter. Most of the folks I dive with see any kind of shark encounter as an opportunity because encounters tend to be few and far between for us. However, I do have a couple of dive partners who don't share the same enthusiasm of the rest of the group.

Again, I don't believe the data presented for September 29, 2000-November 22, 2013 provides "much valid comparison data."

The original poster on this thread expressed concern with his perception that GWS encounters have been increasing. I've no doubt that some of the specific details you can provide about GWS encounters/attacks may help reduce those concerns.

I might be mistaken, but I believe most of the replies on this thread are intended to lessen fear.

-AZTinman

 

[drbill]

When I first moved from fresh water to the salt water around Catalina in the late 1960s, I had an inordinate fear of great whites and bought me the biggest, baddest dive knife I could find. After nearly 45 years of diving these waters, I've only knowingly had one "encounter" with a GWS and it just swam past us. I've probably unknowingly had a number of others, but since vis here rarely matches that in the tropics, they wisely stayed out of sight. I feel comfortable diving our waters as long as there is decent visibility, although I do avoid a few sites where the sea lions haul out and visibility is poor. The good thing is that GWS have other senses beyond sight... I blow a lot of bubbles!

 

[AZTinman]

If GWS encounters are on the increase in Southern California, perhaps the cause may simply be related to a combination of the following:

• increases in the number of people engaging in ocean activities
• increases in numbers of sea lions
• increases in numbers of great white sharks

How effective have the protective measures put in place to protect sea lions and great white sharks been? Often increases in numbers generally accompany protection measures. If protections are working, it would be logical to assume that GWS encounters would accompany increases in the GWS population in Southern California. Increases in encounters may signal some level of success in the protection of great whites.

-AZTinman

 

[Freezerbrn]

WA. State could consider hiring professional shark hunters to hunt potentially threatening animals.
Tim Clarke Nov 2013

Professional shark hunters could be hired to patrol WA waters as the Government considers tougher action on the risk the ocean predators pose to the public.

The death of surfer Chris Boyd, who was attacked by a shark at Gracetown on Saturday, sparked renewed debate about whether the time had come for a cull of larger sharks close to the shore.
With beaches in the state's southwest still shut after more sightings of large sharks, Premier Colin Barnett says he is listening to the growing fears - and is ready to take a tougher line on assessing whether a shark is a threat.
That could include hiring professional shark hunters.
"(They) are an option, absolutely. If there are repeated sightings of a large shark in an area where people swim or surf, to me that is an imminent threat," Mr Barnett said.
"And I think we take a tougher line of what is an imminent threat, and if that means destroying the shark so be it.
"But a cull would be a random destruction of sharks, and we are not going to do that."
Another beach in WA's south-west was closed today after a shark sighting just hours before a school leavers' event was due to be held on the sand.
The sighting of a 2.5-metre bronze whaler at Meelup Beach near Dunsborough immediately prompted the closure.
The beach was due to host the annual "Don't Drink and Drown", but just before 9am Surf Lifesaving WA tweeted that the beach had been shut after the shark was spotted swimming 50 metres off shore.
The Department of Fisheries and WA Police were due to hold a press conference at the beach outlining their increased efforts to monitor the beaches in the area over the rest of the week.
Meelup Beach reopened just over an hour later, with the schoolies' event still scheduled to go ahead.
Lisa Clack, manager of the Department of Fisheries' Shark Response Unit, said they would continue to have extra support with additional patrols by sea and air, including extra helicopter patrols.
A fisheries officer will be in the chopper helping to identify shark species and size.
The helicopter and fisheries vessels will be on call from 7am to 5pm patrolling the coastline.
Police Superintendent Peter Hatch urged schoolies to take the advice of police and other local authorities.
The support will remain for the Kelloggs Ironman event, which is being held at Smith's Beach this weekend, and then the Busselton Ironman event the following weekend.
Beaches in Gracetown will also remain closed until Wednesday afternoon after an unconfirmed shark sighting at Gracetown Beach on Tuesday.

 

[robertarak]