Footage shows the alien-like skate approaching the vessel in Deer Harbor, Wash., as if to offer a seasonal greeting.
A Washington State harbor master on Tuesday captured rare footage showing an enormous skate swimming to his boat as if to offer a seasonal greeting.
“Halloween is coming early to Deer Harbor this year!” Deer Harbor Charters announced via Instagram, in reference to the sea creature’s alien-like appearance.
“Appropriately named ‘Big Skate,’ this impressive creature is the largest in the skate (Rajidae) family. It is rare for us to have such an amazing encounter!”
The harbor master is Marc Broman, who presumably is among those chatting in the audio.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, big skates range from central Baja California to the Bering Sea off Alaska. (The aquarium has at least one big skate on exhibit.)
They can measure 8 feet and they prey largely on shrimp, worms, clams and small fishes.
Big skates typically hide in the sand with only their eyes visible, so Tuesday’s surface encounter was indeed extraordinary.
Big skates are sometimes caught by anglers and, according to the International Game Fish Assn., the world record stands at 91 pounds, for a skate caught off Eureka, Ca., in 1993.
A photographer in Hawaii has shared footage showing a blacktip reef shark swimming just feet from shore toward a lone snorkeler.
A photographer in Hawaii has captured footage showing what appears to be a blacktip reef shark swimming just feet from shore toward a lone North Shore snorkeler.
The footage, captured by Bryan Phillips and shared by Clark Little, features suspenseful “Jaws” music and a warning shout to the snorkeler: “Hey, there’s a shark right there! Look down!”
Treading water with a shark nearby would be unsettling for just about anyone. Check out the video to view the snorkeler’s response:
Poe “chummed up” the shark midway between Palos Verdes and Santa Catalina Island a day after a 51-foot fin whale washed ashore and died on Torrance Beach.
Poe had intended to follow L.A. County lifeguards deep into and perhaps beyond the San Pedro Channel, where they planned to deposit the whale carcass.
Photo courtesy of Keith Poe
But the carcass began to sink shortly after it was towed off the beach and lifeguards cut it loose about two miles offshore.
“When the whale sank I just went offshore to chum for mako sharks,” Poe said. “And then that girl showed up.”
On Thursday, Poe introduced “that girl” as the newly documented white shark, Catalina.
Photo courtesy of Keith Poe
“I named her Catalina because she’s a beautiful shark and it’s a beautiful name, and because she was on that side of the channel,” Poe told FTW Outdoors.
His footage shows Catalina swimming gracefully and seemingly effortlessly near the surface in the outer channel.
The footage also inspired Poe’s friend, Paul McPhee, to create the accompanying artwork.
“She was unknown [to science] and added to the [MCSI] California database,” Poe stated Thursday on Facebook. “Paul was able to capture her size and beauty in this beautiful piece of art. Refections from the sun produced the copper hues you see.”
As of late Saturday there remained no sign of the fin whale carcass. Some people half-expected it to eventually float to the surface.
Footage shows a great white shark attacking a striped bass just feet from a fishing boat and its wide-eyed passengers off Cape Cod.
A Massachusetts shark researcher on Saturday shared footage showing a great white shark launching an explosive attack on a striped bass at the end of a fishing line.
“Doug Nelson took this footage 5 yrs ago today while fishing with Columbia Sportfishing out of Rock Harbor,” John Chisholm described via X. “We’ve had a few reports of sharks taking bass this year. This video shows just how fast it happens.”
Doug Nelson took this footage 5 yrs ago today while fishing with Columbia Sportfishing out of Rock Harbor. We’ve had a few reports of sharks taking bass this year. This video shows just how fast it happens. Fishermen should keep this in mind when retrieving & releasing fish. pic.twitter.com/HpqL6ghZyT
On July 20, 2019, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy shared the same clip under the title, “Air Jaws Cape Cod Bay!”
The footage is reminiscent of a similar Cape Cod “Jaws” incident that was caught on video in 2018.
In that clip, a boy is struggling to reel in a striped bass when a white shark charges from the depths and steals his catch just yards from the stern.
With white sharks feeding off Cape Cod throughout the summer and early fall, Chisholm advises anglers to exercise caution “when retrieving & releasing fish.”
Florida guide William Delph explained that an apex predator moved in as the yellowfin grouper was being reeled to the boat.
A Florida fishing guide on Tuesday boasted of catching a large yellowfin grouper, minus a portion collected by the “tax man.”
“This one is very rare!” William Delph of Delph Fishing explained via Instagram. “For those of you who don’t know, this is a Yellowfin Grouper, otherwise known as a ‘Fireback.’
“These grouper are extremely rare to catch down here. Unfortunately, a shark decided to have a taste of this guy before we could get him in the boat.”
A shark is universally referred to as the “tax man,” or “tax collector,” when it claims claim parts or all of an angler’s catch.
Delph, who was fishing at the Dry Tortugas, did not provide a weight for his catch.
The Florida record for yellowfin grouper stands at 34 pounds, 6 ounces.
The world record is 47 pounds, for a fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas in 2021.
Yellowfin grouper reside mostly near offshore reefs, where they prey mostly on smaller fish and squid. They’re named because of the bright yellow coloration of their outer pectoral fins.
Fiji angler Brock Harmer is left with only the head of prized game fish after shark swoops in to claim its share.
A sportfishing guide in Fiji has provided striking evidence of what can happen if a hooked game fish puts up too long of a fight.
“The emotional rollercoaster of chasing doggies,” Jana Crossingham stated via Instagram, referring to an image showing the severed head of a giant dogtooth tuna. “So close yet so far…”
Crossingham told FTW Outdoors that a shark claimed the body of the estimated 110-pound dogtooth tuna, leaving only the head for angler Brock Harmer.
A group of South Carolina business partners on Sunday teamed to land a massive tiger shark that weighed an estimated 1,500 pounds.
A group of South Carolina business partners on Sunday teamed to land a tiger shark that weighed an estimated 1,500 pounds.
“If that wasn’t a great team-building exercise, I don’t know what is,” Capt. Chip Michalove told FTW Outdoors.
Michalove, owner of Outcast Sport Fishing in Hilton Head, did not provide the anglers’ names but said they fought the shark for 90 minutes before it was alongside the boat. (The shark was released after a brief photo session.)
“Largest one we’ve caught in years, a 13-footer,” Michalove boasted Monday via Facebook.
Any tiger shark topping 1,000 pounds is considered to be enormous.
For comparison, the International Game Fish Assn. lists the world record as a tie between a catches of 1,785 pounds, 11 ounces (Australia, 2004) and 1,780 pounds (South Carolina, 1964).
(The 1964 catch was made from a Myrtle Beach pier!)
13-foot tiger shark moments before it was released. Photo: Chip Michalove
Michalove, who in July 2022 caught and released a record-size hammerhead shark, explained that giant tiger sharks tend to be active off South Carolina in the fall.
“It seems like every year the largest tiger is always the last two weeks of October,” he said. “Last year we lost an enormous one on Halloween.”
Michalove, who is authorized to tags sharks for research, said he has caught several of the same large tiger sharks over the years.
Tiger shark was landed after a 90-minute fight. Photo: Chip Michalove
But the shark his group caught Sunday did not have a tag and did not show markings that would imply it had previously been tagged.
Asked about how the anglers handled the fight, Michalove explained:
“The fight was an hour and a half. It took all four customers multiple rod swaps to get her close. One of the guys was a pastor, and that always seems beneficial.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The evocative title of Chris Bertish’s books says a lot. When I read the title “All In!: The Atlantic Standup Paddle Crossing – 93 Days Alone at Sea,” I got an inkling of what I was in for. There would be weather, loneliness, waves, problems, and probably sharks. And, since Bertish obviously survived to write the book, inspiration. I was right! But it’s still worth reading the book for the stories and motivational tidbits.
The journey Bertish chronicles in “All In!” took place from December 2016 to March 2017, when he paddled more than 4,000 miles alone from Morocco to Antigua. He became the first person to ever stand-up paddleboard across an ocean. But Bertish was no stranger to firsts and awards. He was already a big wave surfing champ with multiple world records. When he’s not in the water, Bertish is addressing giant companies like Google, Coke, and Salesforce as a motivational speaker.
Photo by Brian Overfeld
While Bertish clearly has superhuman strength and a need to embrace challenges most of us would pay everything to avoid, he’s also driven by philanthropy. His grueling 93-day paddle raised over half a million dollars for Operation Smile. This global nonprofit provides free cleft palate surgery for children. Bertish also raised money to support ocean conservation initiatives.
Of course, the first question a reader probably has is, “How does a person cross an ocean on a SUP?” I can barely paddle my inflatable SUP across a small lake on a slightly windy day. But Bertish’s 20-foot craft, the Impifish, was named for Zulu warriors called Impis. This extra-long SUP had a tiny cabin that Bertish could curl up in to escape the elements. The SUP was tricked out with a ton of high-tech communication gear, including GPS, VHF radio, Echomax, an emergency position indicating radio beacon, and a satellite phone, to name just a few. Gearheads will love this book for the tech alone.
Photo by Alan van Gysen
While the book is full of exciting tales, it’s also a bit repetitive — just like 93 days of paddling would be. There’s a pattern of disaster followed by motivational insight, and repeat. Storm! Ah, survived. Great white shark! Ah, survived it. Crucial equipment malfunction! Survived again. You can see why all the big companies want Bertish to speak to them. The man doesn’t give up or take no for an answer.
As he says at one point early in the book, “People will make up every possible excuse not to do something, or give you a whole laundry list of the reasons why they ‘can’t.’ You can always find plenty of reasons if you look for them, but instead you should be finding reasons why you ‘can.’ Focus on that and then find a way to accomplish it. If you believe you can’t you won’t, but if you believe you can, and you want it badly enough, you will always find a way. It’s that simple, period.”
The thing that irked me most about the book was an unsolved mystery. Before Bertish set out on the Impifish, some unidentified entity tried to prevent his SUP journey. Somebody sabotaged his car, messed with arrangements for his gear and food, and, most horribly of all, killed his cat. This still makes me sick to contemplate, especially since the mystery angle of the story was dropped. The reader never finds out who did these horrible things or why.
The paperback version of “All In” debuted in July. In line with Bertish’s conservation ideals, the book is printed on Forest Steward Certified paper. He also released a super limited edition eco series of only 13 copies. These 100% sustainable books are printed on 40% post-consumer recycled paper with soy and water-based inks. The binding features eco-cotton thread and non-toxic water-based glues. The book’s cover is, fittingly, made using recycled ocean plastics.
The victorious finish! / Photo by Brian Overfeld
Writer received a free copy of the book for review.
Anglers at Dry Tortugas National Park are catching lots of fish, but many are devoured by sharks before they cen be reeled to the surface.
On Friday I was directed to the Delph Fishing Instagram page, where several images caught my eye and where three things quickly stood out:
1) William Delph’s clients catch a stunning array of massive and brilliantly colored game fish in Dry Tortugas National Park, Fla.
2) Because some fish are so powerful they take a long time to reel up and become susceptible to shark predation.
3) The regional shark population appears robust enough to cause frustration among clients hoping to reel entire catches to the boat, and crewmen wanting to send clients home with fillets.
The image atop this post is that of a red snapper that Delph Fishing estimated to weigh 45 to 50 pounds – about the same weight as the current world record (50 pounds, 4 ounces).
But as viewers can see, only the head made it to the surface.
“Well over 45-50 lbs this was one of the biggest American true red snappers we’ve ever taken only to lose it to the tax man in the end.
“Where do we go from here with these sharks? What’s really the next most effective move on how to fix this problem? It’s definitely gotten out of control don’t you think?”
The catch occurred several weeks ago. Other recent images showed anglers posing with half of a large grouper, a portion of another large snapper, and the head of another huge grouper.
One of those posts included a description borne of frustration: “Dear National Marine Fisheries, please focus on the balance of our fisheries instead of the over-protection of our Apex predators. The damage already done to our fisheries is out of control.”
So it seems that while fishing at Dry Tortugas can be productive, anglers who can’t land their catches quickly enough might have to contend with the tax man.
