Word on the street is that a shark was seen last week at the Jetty in Westport. To my knowledge this is the 1st shark sighting at a Washington surf spot. Not sure what kind of shark it was.
Evidently the shark was milling around ~100 yards south of the Jetty. Maybe it was the consistent south swell for the last week but a shark sighting in WA was just a matter of time. Surfing’s gotten so popular in WA in the last few years that statistically it’s bound to happen. Statistically.
Here’s a link to a map of US shark attacks. Florida wins! http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/mapusa.htm
Here’s an interesting site devoted to reporting shark sightings and attacks. http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/
Edit 06.23.2008
There has been a shark attack in Washington State. Here’s the text from the Shark Attack Research Committee:
“The first authenticated shark attack for the state of Washington during the Twentieth Century would occur on Wednesday, 12 April 1989. It was probably like any other day to surfer Robert Harms as he sat on his purple surfboard 100 m off Pacific Beach, near Aberdeen in western Washington (47 12.7′N; 124 12.6′W). McCosker and Lea reported that Harms, while lying prone on his board at 1045 hrs, felt a sharp pain in his left arm. The surfer resisted a slight tug on his arm, instinctively pulling it away from whatever had grabbed it. A large swirl next to his surfboard drew Harms’ attention to a large gray fish. He gathered himself back onto his board and headed for shore. Upon reaching the beach, he removed his wetsuit to treat the multiple tooth punctures and lacerations. The wounds extended from his thumb to mid-forearm, a distance of about 25 cm. A companion assisted Harms in applying antiseptic cleanser and adhesive bandaging to his wounds. Although somewhat shaken and withdrawn, Harms was not taken to a medical facility. McCosker and Lea believed this to be the first and, to date, only White Shark attack on a human to be authenticated from the state of Washington. I suspect it will not be the last.”
maybe it was a sunfish…
Entries (RSS)
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
here’s an interesting read… http://santabarbarasurfer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=736
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:11 am
word. that is a good read. sounds like it’s a bit more sketchy down in Mex than i thought. i wonder if panama is bad…damn.
here’s a direct link to the article that snowone posted. LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-sharks19-2008jun19,0,849527.column?page=1
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 am
Nicaragua too. They’ve got bull sharks all around central america, especially around the rivermouths. I saw something about the 3rd world countries dumping and destroying reefs being a main cause for shark attacks. The reefs attract fish (shark food)….so if the reefs get destroyed….the only food for them is the growing population of human surfers. Good times…. I might invest in one of those mini shark transceivers that attach to your leash.
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:46 am
I think you should get a Shark Rocket. If you shoot it at them they get really annoyed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMfhi7cDxtU
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:19 am
So I guess my idea of integrating some sort of food storage pouch on your wet suit isn’t going to be a big seller this summer. I mean com’on who does want to be able to pack some beef jerky in your wetty for those long surf sessions?
What about a shark decoy? It could be as simple as anchoring some sort of meat filled floating Seal decoy 50yrds from the main peak to draw the sharks attention off of you and your buddies.
There’s no reason we can’t learn to live in harmony with all of the ocean’s creatures.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:40 am
Where did you hear there was a shartk spotted in Westport? I am a reporter for the Daily World and I cover Westport and Ocean Shores. Who told you there was a shark sighting? If you have any informaiton, please share ot with me. I can be reached at 537-3935 or rthomson@thedailyworld.com
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Ki……that shark decoy you speak of already exists….his name is Drex. I somehow feel much safer when i’m out in the lineup and the meat filled decoy is sitting out there with me.
Does anybody know how to build a skate mini-ramp? I’m getting ready to put one in later this summer. I need somebody with some ramp-building skills. I’ll buy the beer and steaks.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:30 pm
about 6 or 7 years ago I saw a baby shark that a fisherman at la push caught, had it in this bucket and he was showing us saying yeah and mommies out there. I’m glad La push attracts more people these days.
The shark decoy named drex is brillant.
I’m more scared of the grey whales than sharks.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:49 am
byld yer 1/2 pike sho nuff sucka less dooh et
July 1st, 2008 at 9:56 am
Dane Cook is funny.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:16 am
is not.
July 7th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
man you want a mini ramp Clem post it on OMLB, it will get talked about a ton and then nothing will happen, actually a few of them are pretty good about it and I bet Tom or Glenno would be happy to help keep it from turning into a jank ramp.
Snowball proved that glocks fire underwater a few weekends ago on Lake Washington, I say pack a heater and pop a cap the first mother fucking shark that steps to you… yep guess a guy down in SanDiego just died, hit an artery, know your tourniquets is probably the best defence post bite to survive..
they are building tourniquets into military pants now cause I guess war causes limbs to fall off and stuff http://news.cnet.com/8301-13639_3-9838115-42.html
July 7th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
dude you just pick a radius and draw it a bunch of times on a bunch of 3/4″ or whatever… then you cut them and then you stick 2X4’s inbetween them… then you fuckin screw 1/2″ to the wood waves and then you put masonite on it. Oh yeah, you’ll need a deck and some coping… but yeah boom. Just find the ramp you like and copy the radius… I’d suggest the one at inner space, as it’s the best miniramp of all times peace..
or, there’s a mini on beacon i’ve been avoiding, I’ve heard it’s bomb…
July 8th, 2008 at 7:07 am
i love how a post about a shark sighting turned into Clem’s mini ramp. hey Clem, can you stop planning your future and come pick up 2×6’s from my place. which by the way was the site of an insane 4th/July party that you missed out on.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:27 am
maybe you should invite some people that know how to party
July 8th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
yes…. I need OMLB on my side when it comes to building. I plan on having a mini rager when I get back from Nicaragua. It will involve lots of drinking in the sun, power tools, and lumber. word. I should have been in Seattle for the fourth, you’re right. But then again, I should have been surfing the last six weekends too. I’ll be back on the program come August.
p.s. save those 2×6’s for me until i get back, or just throw them at my backyard. ya heard.
Also.. Ki sent me some links to a good site that shows you how to build your own concrete slab coping. If I build an extension, its going to have that shit on it. Or that crazy aggragate that they have at duvall.