San Diego Shark Attack: Is It Safe to Go Back in the Water?
Last Friday, the Pacific waters off San Diego County were roiled after a shark attacked and killed a retired veterinarian and triathlete. An online report from the San Diego Union-Tribune says experts have confirmed that the predator was a great white shark. (During an autopsy, great white teeth were recovered from the victim.) Authorities closed a stretch of sand around Solana Beach, about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego, to search for the shark. (None was found.) The North County beaches have since been reopened.
According to Jon Greene, spokesman of the Solano Beach Chamber, "People are not being deterred. It was just one of those freak things."
From 1990 to 1999, there have been 108 shark attacks along the West Coast; great whites were suspected in 87 percent of those situations. Since 2000, 31 shark attacks have occured off California, two of which were fatal. In San Diego County, the last deadly shark attack happened in 1994.
Though lifeguards are on alert, one way beachgoers can protect themselves is to not wear wetsuits. Greene explained how the slick black material mimics seal skin, a popular lunch item among sharks. Fortunately, summer is approaching and swimmers can go barelegged. But be careful of the endless summer. The founder of the Shark Research Committee says shark sightings are more common in August, September and October, due to migration and birthing patterns.
As a final precaution, watch "Jaws" after you go to the beach, not before.
Update: A San Francisco man was attacked and killed by a shark in Mexico. For more details, click here.
By Andrea Sachs |
April 30, 2008; 6:31 AM ET
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Posted by: Liz | April 30, 2008 8:26 AM
People are really silly. Ok, stupid and ignorant, but silly sounds better. One or two shark deaths in a year and there's panic in the streets. Let's stay away from the beaches, let's close them!
HUNDREDS of homicides every year just in DC and Baltimore, where's the panic? Are we closing the streets down? Are there warnings posted outside SE DC or West Baltimore?
Never mind, say, the environmental poisons we happily spread everywhere and consume regularly leading to all kinds of slow, painful deaths (something called "cancer" you may have heard of it).
People: Get Real. Those brains are more than just ballast, use them and stop freaking out about stupid things; freak out about real problems instead, maybe make the world a better place.
Posted by: omarsidd | May 1, 2008 3:40 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
It's way more dangerous to drive to the beach than to go swimming at the beach.