Bay Area Shark Experts Weigh In On Three Recent Incidents And Risk

With three shark encounters occurring within about two weeks in December in the Bay Area, including a fatal attack, local shark experts offered insight into these recent incidents.

Dr. Christopher Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, told Patch that patterns of multiple shark encounters periodically occur but at this time they have no evidence to suggest that it was the same shark responsible for all the incidents, but the investigations are still underway and take time.

"There’s no indication that it is the same shark,” Lowe told Patch. "But this is the time of year there are a lot of sub adult and adult white sharks around the central California coastline, primarily to feed on elephant seals."

Of the recent shark encounters, one incident involved a hand bite at North Salmon Creek, another was a board bump at Dillon Beach, and a third was a fatal attack in Monterey County.

David McGuire, the director of Shark Stewards a nonprofit dedicated to saving sharks and ocean habitat, said the period of higher risk encounters with adult white sharks typically occurs between September and November or what experts refer to as “Sharktober,” when white sharks return from their annual migration from the area between the west coast and Hawaii.

Hand Bite

On Dec. 12, a surfer at North Salmon Creek was bitten on the hand. The surfer made it to shore and declined medical assistance there, but later went to the hospital for treatment, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

That same day, a boat capsized nearby during a beach hazard of 8-12 foot waves. But Lowe doesn’t believe that the storm was necessarily a factor.

“Some of our tracking data show that aggregation white sharks simply move more offshore during storm events but will then return to aggregation sites following subsiding conditions,” Lowe told Patch. “So, other than big and prolonged drops in water temperature, most larger white sharks can tolerate cooler conditions.”

Fatal Attack

On Dec. 21, off Pacific Grove, a person reported seeing a shark breach with a human body, according to the US Coast Guard. This followed reports of a possible shark sighting by two people in Monterey County before 55-year-old Erica Fox, a swimmer from a group, went missing. She was found along the Davenport shoreline with her "shark band" still attached to her ankle.

“Shark Banz seem particularly ineffective for warding off white sharks. While no shark deterrent is 100% effective, some are better than others for certain species and not for others under all circumstances,” Lowe told Patch.

Lowe told Patch that independent scientific testing suggests strong electric field deterrents, like Shark Shield, are likely the most effective options. Though all deterrents have limited and variable efficacy, these costly devices may increase user security, though the actual benefit is uncertain.

“In other words, your chances of being bitten while recreating along the California coastline is already incredibly low, despite more sharks being around and more people in the water, so there is likely no statistically supportive benefit of deterrents at this time,” Lowe told Patch.

Board Bump

On Dec. 22, a surfer was uninjured when a suspected great white shark bumped his board about 200 yards offshore at Dillon Beach in Marin County. The shark left a nose print, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife took a DNA sample to confirm the shark's type.

“That is one of the more common types of incidents we see — sharks bumping boards with force, sometimes with bites, but usually just ‘hit and runs.’” Lowe told Patch. “Not sure why these occur. It could be predation related [ such as] a shark mistakes the board/kayak for a seal, or for defense [such as] the shark feels threatened by the board or kayak's presence.”

Lowe told Patch that there are on average eight shark related incidents per year off California, with generally only three resulting in injury to a person.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call what we’re seeing at present a trend, but time will tell,” Lowe told Patch. “Florida has on average 39 shark related incidents per year, most of which are concentrated within a small area of the coastline. People just learn to gauge the risk.”

Shark Encounters In Context

Approximately 230 shark incidents have been recorded and examined along the west coast since 1950, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. As of today, only 17 of the 231 recorded incidents over the past 75 years resulted in fatalities.

Compared to fatal shark incidents over the past decade, the risk of drowning at California beaches is significantly higher. With an average of 38 drowning deaths annually in California, drowning is more than 125 times more likely than being killed by a shark, according to a 2022 study.

McGuire told Patch that after being overfished, the protected white shark population is recovering. Their return, along with successful marine mammal populations like elephant seals, is a sign of a healthier, balanced coastal ecosystem.

Lowe told Patch that the best advice is to always assume white sharks are present and assess the risk of ocean activity accordingly. Despite this, with millions recreating in the ocean yearly in California, the chance of a shark injury is very low, Lowe said.

He advised swimming and surfing in groups, as statistics show a lower risk of being bitten, and to avoid murky water, where sharks may mistake people for prey.

Also, Lowe said to avoid areas near seal and sea lion haulouts, as these spots attract sharks and could increase the risk of mistaken identity attacks.