Man Dies From California Shark Attack
 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/25/ca....ack/index.html

I didn't think Sharks hung out in the ocean in California... I guess I was wrong. Although it has been almost 15 years since the last shark-death in CA, according to the article.

Lots of great whites in California, especially up along the central coast heading north. Never had any encounters surfing Ventura or Santa Barbara. Though I remember surfing C Street and then seeing a news report of a huge great white spotted off the Ventura pier. Always made me nervous surfing there after that especially during the lulls between sets.

White Sharks are more of an issue in central and Nor Cal, but the "man in the grey suit" is around in So Cal too.

The stretch from just north of Santa Cruz (Don't kid yourself, whitey's in the bay too, but for whatever reason doesn't make appearances that often) through Sonoma County is particularly bad.

There can be good waves at Point Reyes, but you might want to bring an iron cage to surf in.

My uncle sail boards in the area, and has said many times that Davenport through Pigeon Point feels "very sharky." He thinks he spotted a shark in Half Moon Bay once.

Whitey is prevalent in Mendocino and Humboldt counties too, but isn't seen as often because fewer people are in the water up there.

Those are all NorCal spots--and you are right, it is no big secret that they are up there. I honestly have never heard much of great whites down in SoCal. You see dolphins almost every time out, though.

Interesting map from today's LA Times. Shark attacks in CA are rarely fatal, but surprisingly more common that I would have thought. The map shows that the sharks camp out along the central coast, and basically stop cold once they hit SoCal, but ramp somewhat back up again once you get into San Diego. Also, note that actually there have been more attacks in Humboldt than most other areas of NorCal.

http://www.latimes.com/media/graphic...4/38209480.gif

Do those hot spots correlate to the number of people in the water as well, or is it really believed there are just more sharks in that area?

I saw something a few years ago that said Florida has the most attacks on the east coast, but that they believed that this was just because there were so many more people in the water there.

Yes, the red triangle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...sharkplace.jpg


Are you from NorCal? You're right on with those spots. Bolinas and the area around mouth of Tomalas Bay are the two of the spooker spots I've ever been, at least they were back in the day (I don't want to act like a posuer, in that I haven't been in the water there for 10+ years).

I was born in Santa Clara and still have family members in the bay area. I get back that way every year or two, but growing up I spent many summers there.

My family has a house right on the beach in Capitola. I would boogie board and read shark books during the evenings.

We spent a week at Solana Beach last August.

This thread appears much more interesting on the front page where the title's cropped to say "Man dies from California."