On October 16th, a U.S Coast Guard aircraft spotted a grouping of over 20 Pacific great white sharks just off the coast of San Francisco, CA. These big beasties, measuring between 15-20 feet, were hanging out between Ocean Beach and the Pacifica Pier, about 100 yards offshore. Lt. Beau Belanger, one of the heliocopter pilots who witnessed the unique event, was "amazed."
Not only was it unusual for the sharks to be so close to such a populated area, but by this time of the year these larger sharks have typically headed for Año Nuevo or Drake's Bay. It's common to see smaller, juvenile sharks this close to the coast, but generally the more mature, larger sharks have retreated for deeper waters by this time of year. The Bay Area had an incredibly hot, late, summer due to El Niño, which raised water temperatures and likely kept the mature great whites interested in hunting the coastal waters--but even so, this area, known as The Red Triangle, is renowned for it's dense shark population. Although sightings like this are uncommon, approximately 38% of all shark attacks in the United States happen in the region between Bodega Bay, CA and Big Sur, CA. This accounts for 11% of shark attacks worldwide! Pacific great whites, the sharks native to this region, tend to be larger than other great whites, but even so the size of animals in this sighting were exceptional.
Though this sighting is rare, a study last year revealed that there are even more sharks lurking beneath the Bay Area's waters than previous researchers had thought. The study was led by George H. Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, and a team of ten researchers. The findings showed that around 2,400 sharks occupied the area, when previous studies had come in between 200-400. Not only did this eliminate the need for protection per the Endangered Species Act, but it showed that the shark population was healthy, robust and breeding. Interestingly, the number of attacks on humans didn't show any spikes, although the number of shark attacks on otters, seals and other marine life did rise. In fact, earlier this October, a great white was spotted taking down a harbor seal just off the craggy coast of Alcatraz Island. So even though it's apparent that sharks are hunting their natural prey, with this number of apex predators populating their natural habitat, it pays to be cautious.
Both Ocean Beach and Pacifica are popular locations for swimming, diving, kayaking and surfing, so locals are encouraged to check #Sharkwatch for updates about the shark activity. It's not just about protecting humans, but protecting the animals as well. Shark attacks are rare, and often unprovoked, but the negative attention from the infrequent incidents is enough to fuel public fear over these important members of our ecosystem.
