Tag: Great white sharks

Great white sharks appear in waves at popular San Diego beach

A 10-mile stretch of coastal waters in San Diego County continues to be utilized as a nursery by juvenile great white sharks. At times you can see them in the surf.

A roughly 10-mile stretch of coastal waters off San Diego continues to be utilized as a nursery by juvenile great white sharks, which sometimes appear in waves.

The junior apex predators, measuring to about nine feet, can be spotted from bluff-top trails at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.

I captured the accompanying images during visits as recently as Dec. 20, usually before noon (with the sun at my back) while wearing polarized sunglasses for easier spotting.

©Pete Thomas

Some of the sharks I observed swam close to shore as they searched (presumably) for rays and other fish. Some were beyond the surf, cruising parallel to the coast in either direction.

The stretch between Del Mar and La Jolla is a major aggregation site for young white sharks – a productive feeding zone in a reasonably safe and tranquil environment.

©Pete Thomas

Many of the sharks are tagged. Chris Lowe, director of the of the Shark Lab at Cal State University Long Beach, told me recently that there could be as many as 40 sharks utilizing the area.

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve does not routinely publicize the presence of sharks. But regular visitors know about them, and children on field trips are sometimes asked by naturalists to try to spot them.

View from the Guy Fleming Trail at Torrey Pines. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

The sharks can be spotted from trails and overlooks nearest the water. Mornings are best because the ocean is generally calm and the sun is at a proper angle. Binoculars and polarized glasses are extremely helpful.

My best sightings occurred at medium or high tide, when sharks seem more likely to approach the shore. But on Wednesday during a medium low tide I spotted one shark well inside the breaking waves (photo posted above).

©Pete Thomas

Will the sharks stay for the winter?

Lowe told me in October 2022 that larger sharks were likely to hold over, while smaller sharks might leave if the water temperature dipped into the 50s.

For now, the aggregation appears to be holding steady but nobody knows how long it’ll last. Major aggregation sites are temporary and have formed and dissipated at other locations.

©Pete Thomas

What’s unique about Torrey Pines is a trail network that affords a bird’s-eye view. All you need are suitable viewing conditions and patience.

If you’re fortunate enough to be visiting on a calm morning with any kind of swell, you might spot a shark or two swimming in waves.

San Diego beach a hot spot for great white shark sightings

If you’d like to observe great white sharks but do not want to board a boat, Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego is just the spot.

Last November, a state beach in San Diego boasted that great white sharks had gathered beyond its shore and provided spotting tips for visitors.

The announcement put Torrey Pines State Beach on the map as a destination known for juvenile white sharks as well as magnificent trails and sweeping ocean views.

Then winter arrived, some sharks left for warmer water, and the hype ended. But I can attest that there are still plenty of white sharks, perhaps dozens, hanging out at Torrey Pines.

White shark close to shore at Torrey Pines. Photo ©Pete Thomas

I’ve visited the park four times in the past two weeks and saw sharks during each visit. During my most recent visit last Wednesday, I spotted multiple sharks during an hourlong period, including four sharks at once.

Two days earlier, I saw a large juvenile shark, perhaps 9 feet, probing in the sand in green water less than 30 yards from shore.

White shark sporting a Shark Lab research tag off Torrey Pines. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

It could be argued that at present, because trails at Torrey Pines provide a bird’s-eye view, there is no better location for observing white sharks from shore.

The aggregation site spans from Del Mar to about Black’s Beach just south of Torrey Pines. Juvenile white sharks, measuring 5 to 10 feet, utilize the area as a nursery. They feed mostly on rays and other bottom fish.

White shark in bluer offshore water at Torrey Pines. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Chris Lowe, who runs the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, told FTW Outdoors that in recent weeks 27 tagged sharks have remained in this area “day in, day out.”

Not all of the sharks are tagged and some come and go, so it’s difficult to estimate the number of sharks off Del Mar/Torrey Pines. But Lowe said it could be as many as 40.

View from the Guy Fleming Trail at Torrey Pines. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Juvenile white shark aggregation sites, which can be established anywhere along the coast, are temporary so it’s unclear how long the sharks will remain off Torrey Pines.

Those who wish to observe them should plan their hikes to overlooks during morning hours with the sun at their backs.

Shark Lab tagging crew searching for white sharks. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Calm, sunny mornings during a high or incoming tide are best, and polarized sunglasses are a must unless conditions are perfect.

There are no guarantees, but if conditions are right and visitors spend enough time looking, they have a solid chance of seeing a shark or two. (I’ve seen them swimming as close as 30 yards from shore.)

Since juvenile white sharks feed on fish instead of the seals and sea lions preferred by much larger adult white sharks, they do not pose a significant threat to swimmers and surfers.

However, last Nov. 4 a woman was bitten by a presumed white shark while swimming 200 yards offshore in Del Mar. She was hospitalized and treated for puncture wounds to her right thigh.

Note: White sharks are protected in California. Anyone caught targeting white sharks while fishing at Torrey Pines State Beach will be cited.

Sky turns sharky over the Atlantic and it’s ‘wicked cool’

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy on Friday shared an image of an enormous dark cloud in the shape of a great white shark’s head.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy on Friday shared an image showing an enormous cloud in the shape of a shark’s head.

More specifically, some might agree, a great white shark’s head.

“Thank you to one of our followers, Sarah, that snapped this picture of a cloud shark! Wicked cool!” the AWSC wrote on Facebook.

Another follower suggested that the phenomenon portends danger: “That’s how sharknados happen…. Just sayin.”

If the massive cloud shark looked ominous it was  accompanied by a rainbow, for whatever significance that might hold.

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The sighting comes when white sharks are gathered off Cape Cod for the feeding season.

The cloud shark was reminiscent of another recent post showing a “flying whale” near Washington’s San Juan Islands. (See photo below.)

Photo: ©Alisa Schulman-Janiger

The cloud whale – obviously a sperm whale, one observer noted – was photographed by researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger five years ago and shared in July as a Facebook memory.

Reads one of the comments: “Gifted to you by the sky spirits who appreciate your work for the great citizens of the seas.”

–Top image courtesy of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy

Celebrate Shark Week 2023 with 11 jaw-dropping photos of sharks

These photos are stunning.

Hey, it’s Shark Week 2023, the block of programming from Discovery that’s been going on for 35 years celebrating all things shark.

And that’s really the right move. Sharks are amazing, and sighting one — as long as it’s from far away — is really cool. We’ve seen Great white sharks in San Diego, we’ve seen sharks get rescued and even one with a name: Tough Guy.

MORE: “Sharknado” moment commands spotlight at surfing contest

So with all of that in mind, we decided to put together some incredible photos we found of sharks throughout the years. Check out the snaps of them below:

Great white sharks reclaim spotlight at San Diego Beach

The sighting Friday of three great white sharks off Black’s Beach in San Diego provides strong evidence that perhaps dozens of juvenile sharks are still utilizing the area between Black’s and Del Mar.

The sighting Friday of three great white sharks off Black’s Beach in San Diego illustrates that several juvenile sharks are still utilizing coastal waters between Black’s and Del Mar.

In the middle of this area is Torrey Pines State Beach, which contains bluff-top trails from which sharks can be spotted when conditions are right.

The following is a repost from last fall – “Great white sharks now a tourist attraction at San Diego beach” – with images I’ve since captured from one of the trails:

©Pete Thomas

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and State Beach is known for its sweeping views of the Pacific. Migrating whales are sometimes spotted in the distance.

But these days great white sharks are a premier attraction for some hikers at the reserve near San Diego. Dozens of juvenile white sharks have spent the summer and early fall off Torrey Pines and Del Mar, just to the north.

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The sharks have been feeding on stingrays and other bottom fishes, keeping a fairly low profile until recently.

Anglers began to hook them and on Oct. 30 the carcass of an 8-foot white shark was discovered on the shore at Torrey Pines. The shark died as a result of fishing activity. (White sharks are protected and targeting them while fishing is illegal.)

©Pete Thomas

On Nov. 4, a distance swimmer was bitten by a shark off Del Mar and hospitalized. Lyn Jutronich told NBC San Diego that the shark shook briefly before releasing its grip. Jutronich was hospitalized and treated for puncture wounds to her right thigh.

The type of shark was not confirmed, but it was presumed to be a juvenile white shark.

On Nov. 6, the Torrey Pines reserve posted a Facebook image of a white shark in a wave.

The Facebook post advertised the presence of sharks and listed spots from which they might be seen: Yucca Point, Razor Point and the Guy Fleming overlooks.

“For best results, plan your trip before 11 a.m. and during high tide,” the Torrey Pines reserve advised. “Sunglasses with polarized lenses and binoculars both also help.”

To be sure, the temporary white shark aggregation site at Torrey Pines is substantial.

Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, told FTW Outdoors that several white sharks tagged off Southern California in recent years are in the area.

“We’ve detected 31 tagged juvenile white sharks (in the last month) out the 62 tagged at Solana Beach, Del Mar and Torrey Pines over the last three years,” Lowe said. “We’ve seen up to 12 sharks in a single drone video frame at Torrey Pines in the last few months.

“This is now the largest aggregation since the Santa Barbara aggregation has broken down.”

It’s not clear how long the sharks will remain in the area.

Can you spot the mako shark in this lineup of predators?

Can you locate the mako shark in a photo quiz issued by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans?

Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans on Wednesday tweeted a quiz asking viewers if they can guess which of the four sharks in the accompanying image is a mako shark.

We’ll take it a step farther and ask viewers to identify all four sharks in the photo. (Answer provided below.)

Fisheries and Oceans included a link that contains information about the shortfin mako shark and explains that the species is classified as endangered in Canada.

Mako sharks are found globally in tropical and temperate waters, but in the North Atlantic the species is considered to be comprised of a single population.

The sleek and powerful predators and can attain bursts of 40-plus mph while attacking prey such as tuna or swordfish.

Mako sharks can measure 12 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. (The world record catch, set off Massachusetts in 2001, stands at 1,221 pounds.)

In the comments section of the Fisheries and Oceans tweet, several followers provided the correct answer, and a few identified all four species.

The types of sharks, in order: A) White shark, B) Thresher shark, C) Hammerhead shark, and D) Mako shark.

Great white sharks now a tourist attraction at San Diego beach

Great white sharks have become a tourist attraction at Torrey Pines State Beach north of San Diego.

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and State Beach is known for its sweeping views of the Pacific. Migrating whales are sometimes spotted in the distance.

But these days great white sharks are the premier attraction for some hikers at the reserve near San Diego. Dozens of juvenile white sharks have spent the summer and early fall off Torrey Pines and Del Mar, just to the north.

The sharks have been feeding on stingrays and other bottom fishes, keeping a fairly low profile until recently.

Anglers began to hook them and on Oct. 30 the carcass of an 8-foot white shark was discovered on the shore at Torrey Pines. The shark died as a result of fishing activity. (White sharks are protected and targeting them while fishing is illegal.)

On Nov. 4, a distance swimmer was bitten by a shark off Del Mar and hospitalized. Lyn Jutronich told NBC San Diego that the shark shook briefly before releasing its grip. Jutronich was hospitalized and treated for puncture wounds to her right thigh.

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The type of shark was not confirmed, but it was presumed to be a juvenile white shark.

On Nov. 6, the Torrey Pines reserve posted a Facebook image of a white shark in a wave. The image was captured via cellphone from the bluff at Yucca Point.

View from the Guy Fleming trail at Torrey Pines. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

The Facebook post advertised the presence of sharks and listed spots from which they might be seen: Yucca Point, Razor Point and the Guy Fleming overlooks.

(Personal note: I observed at least four white sharks two weeks ago from the Guy Fleming North Grove trail. There was a field trip in progress and several children also saw the sharks.)

“For best results, plan your trip before 11 a.m. and during high tide,” the Torrey Pines reserve advised. “Sunglasses with polarized lenses and binoculars both also help.”

To be sure, the temporary white shark aggregation site at Torrey Pines is substantial.

Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, told FTW Outdoors that several white sharks tagged off Southern California in recent years are in the area.

“We’ve detected 31 tagged juvenile white sharks (in the last month) out the 62 tagged at Solana Beach, Del Mar and Torrey Pines over the last three years,” Lowe said. “We’ve seen up to 12 sharks in a single drone video frame at Torrey Pines in the last few months.

“This is now the largest aggregation since the Santa Barbara aggregation has broken down.”

It’s not clear how long the sharks will remain in the area.

–Top image courtesy of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and State Beach

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Watch: Beachgoers in awe as great white shark ambushes seal

Beachgoers in Provincetown, Mass., watched in awe Wednesday as a great white shark ambushed a seal just beyond the shore.

Beachgoers in Provincetown, Mass., watched in awe Wednesday as a great white shark ambushed a seal just beyond the shore.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy shared the footage to Facebook, crediting Matt and Shannon Scully, explaining that the “predation” occurred at 1 p.m. off Race Point Beach.

The shark appears to have been spotted before it launched its surface attack, creating a giant foamy splash. In the footage a woman asks, “Did you guys see it?” just before the eruption, which inspires more commentary.

White sharks prey on gray seals during the summer and early fall off Cape Cod, and one person observed in the comments section that nobody was swimming at the time of Wednesday’s attack:

“People are getting smarter, as you notice, nobody in their right mind would swim in the waters on the outer Cape!”

Reads another comment: “That water drops off deep. You are neck deep in five steps. It’s ‘Jaws’ paradise.”

Scientists make the most of the white shark feeding season by tagging sharks, usually from July into early November, to learn more about their habits and movements.

–Image and video courtesy of Matt and Shannon Scully

Entangled right whale carcass a feast for great white sharks

A North Atlantic right whale that was found dead Friday off South Carolina appears to have become a feast for great white sharks.

A North Atlantic right whale that was found dead Friday off South Carolina appears to have become a feast for great white sharks.

The 12-year-old male right whale, nicknamed Cottontail, had previously been seen badly entangled and in poor health.

On February 18, a disentanglement team attached a telemetry buoy to Cottontail off Florida’s Treasure Coast in the hope of later attempting the difficult task of relocating the whale and removing the fishing gear.

Photo: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Cottontail, who was spotted entangled as early as last October, was found dead 15 miles off Myrtle Beach. Biologists were able to collect samples and place a tag on the carcass to track its location.

Photo: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered and Cottontail’s death changes NOAA Fisheries’ Unusual Mortality Event count to 34 dead and 14 seriously injured.

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The UME off the U.S. and Canada began in 2017, when 17 stranded right whales were counted. The leading cause of death is “human interaction,” notably fishing gear entanglement and vessel strikes.

Photo: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Aerial images captured Saturday by a Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute crew show great white sharks swimming around Cottontail’s carcass. At one point an air crew counted nine sharks near the mammal.

Since Saturday, poor weather has hampered efforts to reach the whale for further biological study.