Tag: San Diego

Angler ‘still in shock’ after landing pending-record swordfish

Luc Ofield battled the massive swordfish for nearly five hours off San Diego; his catch could shatter the existing California record.

A San Diego angler last Sunday battled a massive swordfish for nearly five hours and returned to port in the dark with a potential record catch.

The swordfish landed by Luc Ofield tipped the San Diego Marlin Club scale at 666.2 pounds. A second weigh-in recorded a weight of 663.8 pounds.

The current California record stands at 520 pounds, for a swordfish caught off San Diego in October 2023. (It can take weeks for the state to review new record submissions.)

“After a 4.5 hours long battle with the gladiator of the sea, Luc and Dave managed to subdue this monster of a Swordfish!” the San Diego Marlin Club announced Monday via Instagram. “666.2 lbs weighed at the Marlin Club last night and it looks like this will take the new California State Record Swordfish!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBdFfYmRWaN/

Ofield, who works at Angler’s Choice Tackle in San Diego, issued a statement Tuesday via Instagram, noting the lower weight and a longer fighting period:

“The ultimate battle with a Goliath of the sea! I have the utmost respect for this fish and the amazing battle it gave. 4 hours and 50 minutes of raw strength. Thanks to the boat skills of my buddy Dave, or this fish would have never made it to the scales.

“Thanks to Dylan, Michael, Todd, Jack, for helping record this piece of history once we reached the dock. 663.8 lbs! New pending state record. Still in shock.”

For comparison, the all-tackle world record stands at 1,182 pounds. That record, which might never be broken, was set in 1953 off Iquique, Chile.

‘Taxman’ claims share but wants more as anglers land swordfish

Footage shows anglers posing with a partially consumed swordfish as the still-hungry mako shark circles the boat.

Anglers out of San Diego boated a large swordfish recently, but not before an equally large mako shark claimed part of the catch.

“The taxman took his share, but Pacifica Sportfishing managed most of a swordfish on the first day of their trip,” Seaforth Landing explained via Instagram.

The image shows five anglers posing with a swordfish whose lower body had been shredded by the shark as the swordfish was being reeled to the boat.

A swipe-through features video footage showing the mako shark swimming near the boat as one passenger remarks, “He’s wondering where his meal went.”

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Swordfish catches by recreational anglers are rare off Southern California, but it’s not rare for sharks to go after any large fish that’s struggling at the end of a fishing line.

Sharks that claim part or all of a hooked game fish are commonly referred to as tax collectors or, singularly, the taxman.

Rescue dog has plenty to say during rare orca encounter; video

Footage shows the 5-year-old mixed lab/retriever reacting to several Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales swimming near the boat.

A pod of rarely seen orcas was a wonderful source of excitement for a group of San Diego whale watchers last Wednesday. But perhaps the most curious and enthusiastic member of the charter was a rescue dog named Fin.

The accompanying footage, captured by Domenic Biagini of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, shows a tethered Fin gazing intently at the orcas while expressing an apparent desire to leap overboard and greet them personally.

Bigaini imagined via Instagram how Fin might recall the encounter:

“Last week I got to meet the pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific Killer Whales that everyone was talking so much about last winter. As a lifelong HUGE fan of dolphins, it was such a treat to meet the biggest dolphins in the world!”

Fin added: “I told my dad that I wasn’t thrilled being confined to the middle part of the boat by two leashes, but my dad knew that I’d be a sea-puppy without those restraints! I just wanted a sniff!”

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The orcas were so close that Fin began to bark, but was quickly calmed.

The 5-year-old mixed lab/retriever, found in poor condition near the U.S.-Mexico border, has developed excellent sea legs and eagerly accompanies Biagini on his charters.

Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, most commonly encountered off Mexico, occasionally venture into Southern California waters to hunt dolphins and other marine mammals.

Gone Whale Watching San Diego encountered the ETPs last Wednesday and observed the mammals until sunset as they began to swim back toward Mexico.

Rare orca encounter off San Diego includes ‘rainblow’ surprise

Footage shows one of the killer whales swimming to within feet of the boat and greeting passengers with a “rainblow.”

A rare orca encounter Wednesday off San Diego was made extra special when one of the mammals swam to the boat and provided an enchanting moment.

“As if seeing this beautiful animal in the wild wasn’t enough, it also gifted us with a beautiful rainbow!” Domenic Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, exclaimed via Instagram.

The accompanying footage shows the orca’s close approach – and features  Biagini’s exuberant narration – and its “rainblow” greeting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_Qd676JbeC/

Biagini and crew, acting on tips from nature and local sportfishing captains, located more than 10 Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, or orcas, near the U.S.-Mexico border.

ETP orcas are commonly encountered in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez but occasionally venture into U.S. waters to hunt dolphins and other marine mammals.

Biagini explained the tip he received from seabirds:

“Our initial exploration found a lot of interesting wildlife, but what stood out to us the most was the number of Black-Footed Albatross we were seeing much closer to shore than usual.

“Those Albatross are often a harbinger of larger predators being around like False Killer Whales, sharks, and especially Orcas!”

Biagini promised “more to come from this incredible day” as the ETP watch is in full swing after the encounter.

The orcas were headed south as Biagini returned to port, but that does not mean that they will not resurface off San Diego or elsewhere in Southern California in the coming days.

Watch: 700-pound mako shark versus bluefin tuna on the gaff

Anglers aboard a San Diego sportfishing boat watched in awe as a mako shark attacked a hooked bluefin tuna as it was being gaffed.

Anglers aboard a San Diego sportfishing boat watched in awe this week as a mako shark attacked a hooked bluefin tuna as it was being gaffed.

The tuna had been reeled to the Tribute’s rail and the captain and a crewman had gaffed and were about to haul the fish aboard when the shark chomped onto its tail end.

“Get some!” the videographer says in the accompanying footage, while passengers cheer.

The fish was ultimately hauled aboard, but minus a small portion.

“The tax man!” exclaimed one follower beneath Tribute Sportfishing’s Instagram post.

(Sharks that go attack hooked fish are jokingly referred to as tax collectors.)

A few suggested that the crew should have attempted to gaff the shark, while others merely expressed appreciation for the rare footage.

The Instagram description reads: “Some people try and kill these things! We embrace how awesome they are. 700-pound-plus Mako getting just a little sample.”

Swimmer hospitalized after shark attack off San Diego beach

The 46-year-old man suffered serious injuries when the presumed great white shark bit his torso. Area beaches are closed until Tuesday.

A 46-year-old man was hospitalized with serious injuries Sunday after being attacked by a shark while swimming off Del Mar in San Diego County.

ABC News 10 reports that the man was distance training with other swimmers about 100 yards offshore when the shark struck at about 9 a.m.

The unidentified man was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla with injuries to his torso, left arm and hand. He is expected to survive.

The incident occurred beyond the Beach Safety Center at 17th Street, according to NBC News 7.

Lifeguards closed area beaches to swimming and surfing until 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The type of shark was not specified, but coastal waters off Del Mar and nearby Torrey Pines State Beach are utilized as a nursery by juvenile white sharks.

Juvenile white sharks prey largely on rays and other types of fish, while adult white sharks prey mostly on seals and sea lions.

In November 2022, a 50-year-old woman survived an attack by a presumed white shark while swimming 200 yards offshore in Del Mar.

Lyn Jutronich, the victim, was quoted afterward by ABC News:

“I saw it clamp on my leg so I don’t know if I saw it bite my leg or if I saw it after it bit my leg but I definitely saw the mouth. It was on my right leg and it shook once, kind of like a dog, and it let me go.”

–Juvenile great white shark image, captured last year near Del Mar, is courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Photo Gallery: Duck baseball advances in the NCAA tourney with 5-4 win

Photo Gallery: Duck baseball advances in the NCAA tourney with 5-4 win over San Diego.

It was one of the better games of the opening round of the NCAA baseball tournament and the Oregon Ducks were able to come out on top.

The Ducks defeated San Diego 5-4 in the Santa Barbara regional in 11 innings. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Ducks take a 4-1 lead late only to watch the Toreros storm back with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Closer Logan Mercado threw four scoreless innings to hold San Diego off the scoreboard in time for Bryce Boettcher to homer in the top of the 11th to give Oregon the lead and eventual win. The Ducks now play Santa Barbara Saturday night.

Here are the best pictures from the Ducks’ dramatic win over the Toreros.

Notre Dame no longer will participate in Rady Children’s Invitational

Make your plans for Vegas instead of San Diego.

When it was announced that Notre Dame would compete in a NIL-type tournament in Las Vegas this season, one thing might have been forgotten. Before the start of the past season, the Irish agreed to take part in the 2024 Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. But that won’t be the case any longer.

With the events conflicting with each other and the money involved with the Players Era Festival, the San Diego tournament officially will not feature the Irish. They, along with Arkansas, reportedly have opted out of their obligation, which involved a $200,000 buyout provision. They have been replaced by Ole Miss and Irish ACC rival NC State. Purdue and BYU will remain part of the invitational.

The writing for this was on the wall the moment the Players Era Festival was announced. No team in the NIL era is going to turn down an opportunity to financially benefit its players. Such is the new reality of college sports.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Rescue dog enjoys first look at blue whale, footage is ‘priceless’

During a voyage off San Diego, Fin is shown intently observing the massive whale at close range. What could be going through his mind?

A San Diego whale-watching captain this week shared a short but wonderful video clip showing a dog intently observing a surfacing blue whale.

“First Mate Fin reporting for whale-spotting duty!” Capt. Dom Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, stated via Instagram.

Biagini added: “This is the first time I’ve taken Fin with me on a filming expedition, and he had a blast searching for all the wildlife.”

Blue whales, which can measure nearly 100 feet and weigh 200 tons, are the largest creatures on the planet.

The footage was captured by Erica Sackrison, also with Gone Whale Watching, and one can’t help but wonder what was going through Fin’s mind as the majestic leviathan revealed its massive fluke befor a deep dive.

Several Instagram followers chimed in with comments, including this from Sackrison:

“1. ‘You can swim under me any time now.’

“2. ‘I wonder if you taste like chicken.’ ”

Other observations:

–“So freaking cool. Go Fin!!!

–“This is everything! 💙💛”

–“Priceless…. What they must think as they slip back under.”

–“I wonder if he can hear them singing underwater.”

Biagini told FTW Outdoors that Fin is a 5-year-old mixed yellow lab/golden retriever that he rescued near the U.S.-San Diego border.

On Instagram, Biagini reflected on the evolution of Fin as a whale-watching companion:

“The first time I took Fin on the boat was when he was a puppy, and he promptly sprinted to the front of the boat and jumped off into the bay! 😂 We’ve come a long way since then!”

Orcas try to kill ‘massive’ gray whale off San Diego; video

The killer whales “assaulted” the adult gray whale for nearly an hour in rarely documented behavior.

Killer whales from Mexico continue to thrill Southern California boaters while preying on dolphins and milling near vessels.

But on Friday off San Diego, a pod of Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales was documented attacking an adult gray whale in a rarely seen predation attempt that lasted nearly an hour.

The accompanying footage was captured by Capt. Ryan Lawler of Pacific Offshore Expeditions. While the footage is graphic, the gray whale proved too large for the orcas and ultimately continued its migration toward Baja California nursing and mating grounds.

Delaney Trowbridge, also a Pacific Offshore Expeditions captain, described the encounter via Instagram, beginning her post, “Bloodied and bruised, but not broken.”

Trowbridge’s report included an image of the gray whale’s fluke with fresh bite wounds.

She added: “Over the last few weeks we’ve watched the Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales plow their way through pods of common and bottlenose dolphins, but today their eyes were set on a much larger prize: a massive, adult gray whale.

“Despite their best efforts, lasting nearly an hour in their assault, the orcas abandoned their hunt and moved on.”

Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, fairly common in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, are considered rare visitors to Southern California. But that designation might no longer apply.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger of the California Killer Whale Project told FTW Outdoors that the ETPs have been documented off Southern California 18 different days since last Dec. 11.

While their presence is exciting for marine mammal enthusiasts, not everybody is pleased to see them linger for so long.

Reads one comment beneath Trowbridge’s post: “God Bless this Whale and any others tortured by these Orcas. They seem to be on a serious killing spree off of California and they typically don’t stay this long. This leads to many other concerns.”

Transient killer whales, commonly encountered in Monterey Bay, also visit Southern California sporadically.

Transients also prey on other marine mammals, including gray whale calves that pass through Monterey Bay with their mothers during the northbound migration to Alaska.