A surfboard found off North Jetty. Photo: J.R.
Sharks are scary creatures. They have these awful teeth and sandpaper for skin. They look out from black eyes and don’t seem to think too much about anything other than eating and swimming and being scary. I know they’re the “perfect predator”, or “evolution’s perfection”, and they are being killed mercilessly for nothing other than being scary, but they still scare the shit out of me.
And to soothe the savage hordes of angry commenters, I don’t think they should be killed off. It’s their ocean. They evolved for it, in it, and live off of it, and we’re playing around in it, splashing around like an injured seal, encased in our delicious skin most times completely unaware that yes, there are inherent dangers of the sea. And sharks are one of them. But still, when shark attacks happen, it’s a bit of a wake-up call.
That said, here’s why: In the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of shark activity off California’s coastline. Today, two Great White Sharks were caught off the Manhattan Beach Pier. They were released, because they’re a protected species. Yesterday, a 25-year-old man surfing off North Jetty in Humboldt was bitten by what may have been a Great White Shark. He was rushed to the hospital with (according to witnesses) “four 12-inch long gashes from below his ribs to his hips.” The Sherriff’s report stated that the victim suffered a 14-inch bite wound and was taken to St. Joseph Hospital where he underwent surgery. He’s expected to recover.
The first one happened on on October 23, 60 miles northwest of Santa Barbara at Surf Beach. Thirty-nine-year old Francisco Javier Solorio Jr was killed while surfing when a shark bit him in the upper torso. He was pulled from the water by a friend, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The beaches were subsequently closed, and have since been re-opened.
Scary creatures.
