15 great white sharks spotted south of San Francisco

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**Frazzled**

Must have been there for the next Sharknado casting call

http://blog.sfgate.com/stienstra/2015/06/28/18-foot-great-white-shark-the-biggest-among-15-at-popular-monterey-beach-pics/

A scientist in a helicopter sighted and photographed a great white shark at Monterey Bay estimated at 18 feet long and perhaps 5,000 pounds.

It was the biggest of 15 great white sharks that marine biologist Giancarlo Thomae counted from a helicopter last week. Most the sharks were within short range of shore at one of Monterey Bay’s most popular areas for paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming and fishing.

The exact site is located near the ruins of the cement ship, the Palo Alto, just offshore Seacliff State Beach at Aptos.

The spectacle started last Tuesday, when state park lifeguards spotted a shark fin and then cancelled the NorCal Junior Lifeguard competition in the area.

“Imagine seeing 15 great whites swimming around the junior lifeguard competition,” Thomae said. “They had to get 300 kids out of the water.”

Rangers then put up a shark warning sign at the kiosk near the park’s campground. On Sunday, when asked if people were going into the water, Violet, a park aide who would not provide her last name, said: “It’s about 50-50. Some people say they’ll go in the water anyway.”

Locals have long called the spot “The Cement Ship.” When seas are calm, it’s a favorite area for some to swim at night under full moons.

When Thomae heard about a shark sighting, he boarded Specialized Helicopters out of Watsonville Airport for a low-level sky view of the sharks.

“Five minutes after take off, we started seeing them near the cement ship,” Thomae said. “I counted 15 across a half mile of ocean.”

He said most of the great whites were “8 to 12 feet long,” their silhouettes clear as they swam near the surface.

Large schools of mackerel migrated into the area last week, Thomae said. That could draw marine mammals to the area to feed, and in turn, attract the big sharks. The smaller sharks could feed on the mackerel, too, he said.

In January, a great white estimated at about 9 feet was verified near the cement ship, and over the years, great whites have also been sighted a few times in the area.

Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicle’s outdoors writer. E-mail: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com. Daily twitter at: @StienstraTom.

**hotsauceman1**

IS this gods punishment for the surpreme court ruling

**Frazzled**

God's punishment for the SiFy channel.

**clamclaw**

Crazy, that's a lot of usually solitary water predators to be grouped together.

Can't recall where I saw it last, but isn't it more likely to be killed by a vending machine than a shark these days?

And I think the SiFy channel is gods punishment for the SiFy channel.

**kronk**

Cows. You're thinking of Cows. Man's true enemy, which is why they're so tasty!

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/11-animals-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-sharks

**hotsauceman1**

kronk wrote:
Cows. You're thinking of Cows. Man's true enemy, which is why they're so tasty!

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/11-animals-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-sharks

If humans here merpeople, sharks would kill us alot more.

**Spetulhu**

clamclaw wrote:
Crazy, that's a lot of usually solitary water predators to be grouped together.

They're probably trying new tactics to avoid getting eaten by orcas. Well, not eaten-eaten, but having their liver ripped out and eaten with the rest of the carcass being left as a warning to other sharks.

**A Town Called Malus**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
IS this gods punishment for the surpreme court ruling

Please, everyone knows homosexuals affect the weather, not shark movements.

**DarkTraveler777**

A Town Called Malus wrote:
hotsauceman1 wrote:
IS this gods punishment for the surpreme court ruling

Please, everyone knows homosexuals affect the weather, not shark movements.

You bastard! Do you realize that you just unleashed a Sharknado on us?

Run!!!

**Sgt_Scruffy**

So, you're telling me there are sharks in the ocean? Wait 'til CNN finds out!

**Orlanth**

Lawyers convention in town?

**timetowaste85**

Until Megalodon is seen swimming amongst them, I shall remain unimpressed. Once ol' Meg is spotted though, I'm going to squeal like a 2yr old watching Barney. That fether is still out there, all the naysayers be damned!

**Relapse**

timetowaste85 wrote:
Until Megalodon is seen swimming amongst them, I shall remain unimpressed. Once ol' Meg is spotted though, I'm going to squeal like a 2yr old watching Barney. That fether is still out there, all the naysayers be damned!

Time to fire Mechashark back up of that's the case.

**BobtheInquisitor**

Frazzled wrote:
God's punishment for the SiFy channel.

The SyFy channel is its own punishment.

**Jehan-reznor**

US A's obesity increase lures great whites to the beaches,

Jaws Sr commented, "we like Bacon too!"

**timetowaste85**

Jehan-reznor wrote:
US A's obesity increase lures great whites to the beaches,

Jaws Sr commented, "we like Bacon too!"

Hey, you leave our police force out of this!!

**Orlanth**

Trouble with eating Americans, too many additives in the food.

**Desubot**

A Town Called Malus wrote:
hotsauceman1 wrote:
IS this gods punishment for the surpreme court ruling

Please, everyone knows homosexuals affect the weather, not shark movements.

Enough power to melt steel beams

**Wyzilla**

Don't know why there was a scare- sharks aren't dangerous. The only time I'd be scared about swimming around sharks is if it was a high concentration of Bull Sharks, which are far more aggressive than Great Whites. Only time the Great White takes a chunk out of you is when it mistakes you for a seal.

**Grey Templar**

Wyzilla wrote:
Don't know why there was a scare- sharks aren't dangerous. The only time I'd be scared about swimming around sharks is if it was a high concentration of Bull Sharks, which are far more aggressive than Great Whites. Only time the Great White takes a chunk out of you is when it mistakes you for a seal.

Well there are a lot of surfers along the NorCal coast. And 15 sharks is a very large number, very odd indeed.

**Frazzled**

Wyzilla wrote:
Don't know why there was a scare- sharks aren't dangerous. The only time I'd be scared about swimming around sharks is if it was a high concentration of Bull Sharks, which are far more aggressive than Great Whites. Only time the Great White takes a chunk out of you is when it mistakes you for a seal.

*great whites are solitary. This was almost a pack.
*great whites are easily fatal attackers.
*great whites are much more aggressive off San Fran due to the high concentration of seals and seal lions there especially vs. paddling surfers. From underneath to a great white all us mammals look the same.

**OgreChubbs**

It is pupping season relax boys. Altho the young ones bite...alot lol. When a 9 foot baby with like 1ton of pressure bites you it hurts.

We have a blue shark catching contest here every summer and the pups are like 4-5 feet and if you throw a water bottle in the water you can see them hitting it with their noses.... it is freaky lol. Plus we have the white tips -_- those buggers bite anything near them after about a hour in the water.

Freakyest shark thing I ever see was last year a 9 foot blue shark was about 3 inches from water edge ripping at the sand eating the crabs.

**Ashiraya**

Frazzled wrote:
Wyzilla wrote:
Don't know why there was a scare- sharks aren't dangerous. The only time I'd be scared about swimming around sharks is if it was a high concentration of Bull Sharks, which are far more aggressive than Great Whites. Only time the Great White takes a chunk out of you is when it mistakes you for a seal.

*great whites are solitary. This was almost a pack.
*great whites are easily fatal attackers.
*great whites are much more aggressive off San Fran due to the high concentration of seals and seal lions there especially vs. paddling surfers. From underneath to a great white all us mammals look the same.

Yeah. Surfing around sharks is like leaping down a rabbit hole while making carrot sounds.

Animals are people too. They are not flawless.

**Crazy_Carnifex**

timetowaste85 wrote:
Until Megalodon is seen swimming amongst them, I shall remain unimpressed. Once ol' Meg is spotted though, I'm going to squeal like a 2yr old watching Barney. That fether is still out there, all the naysayers be damned!

I'm not getting excited until a Mososaurus turns up and eats one.

**Orlanth**

timetowaste85 wrote:
Until Megalodon is seen swimming amongst them, I shall remain unimpressed. Once ol' Meg is spotted though, I'm going to squeal like a 2yr old watching Barney. That fether is still out there, all the naysayers be damned!

I so wish this were so, trouble is as soon as it is found, you will likely just fill it full of .50 cal lead.

**Steve steveson**

Orlanth wrote:
timetowaste85 wrote:
Until Megalodon is seen swimming amongst them, I shall remain unimpressed. Once ol' Meg is spotted though, I'm going to squeal like a 2yr old watching Barney. That fether is still out there, all the naysayers be damned!

I so wish this were so, trouble is as soon as it is found, you will likely just fill it full of .50 cal lead.

I believe .700 Nitro Express is the preferred caliber for Megaladon hunting. If your going to hunt something that size to re-extinction you have to use a proper big game round. Something with a little style.

**Frazzled**

Depth charges.

**timetowaste85**

Megalodon movies are my favorite B-Horror movies. Well, shark movies in general. Although I found Jaws a bit bland. I thought Deep Blue Sea with man's inability to avoid playing God was much better than "oh crap, it's a great white that behaves slightly differently from most great whites! Run! Er, swim!!

**Frazzled**

Jaws was a game changer in movie history.

**timetowaste85**

Frazzled wrote:
Jaws was a game changer in movie history.

Back in the day, I'm sure it was. But when I saw it the first time at age 13, after Jurassic Park 1 and 2 came out, it felt very "meh". I saw Exorcist even when I was in my early 20s and found it dull beyond belief.

Then again, my grandfather was friends with the real life Captain Quinn. They had coffee together quite often. Jaws was 'small'; he caught a 2 foot larger great white while Jaws was still in theaters. So I may be biased on my opinions!