And he shows ‘em, pearly white. PHOTO: VICTORIA SCOTT
SAFETY BY DOUG SCOTT Great White Fright SCARY ENCOUNTERS: HOW TO PLAY SAFE IN TOOTHY WATERS
A handful of well-publicized shark encounters in the waters off some of our favorite coasts have left
sea kayakers watching their dor-
sals. Headline stories like Great White Shark Menaces Kayakers suggest “a disturbing trend” of increasing attack frequency in paddling hotspots like Southern California and Austra- lia’s Surf Coast. Reality is a lot less sensational. According to
statistics from a six-year period analyzed by the University of Florida’s International Shark At- tack File, beach attendance and shark attacks increased in nearly exact parallel. The so-called trend likely reflects the increasing number of paddlers on the water rather than a rise in ag- gressive behavior among shark populations. Still, there’s undeniable drama in such re-
ports. Witness expedition paddler Sean Mor- ley’s terrifying pursuit—“it was like a cat with a mouse”— by a suspected blue shark on his solo crossing in SoCal’s Channel Islands. Or the great white, also in California, that chomped local distance paddler Duane Strosaker’s wooden kayak and held it in its jaws for a few seconds before “gently letting go.” Victoria Scott, a marine biologist, experi-
enced shark diver and Director of Education with the Canadian Shark Conservation Soci- ety, says “shark encounter” is a more precise way to describe these marine muggings. “Sharks are incredibly effective hunters. If one was to at- tack a sea kayaker there is no doubt the shark would win every time,” she says. The two most common culprits in shark
attacks and encounters—great whites and ti- gers—hunt from below. To these sharks, a sea kayaker on the surface may look like a seal or
sea lion. Scott says sharks will usually investi- gate before deciding to attack. This is where the bumping and sometimes nibbling come in. Sharks use their mouths to determine if some- thing is potentially edible. Kayaks, and even humans, are usually discarded as not tasty. Strosaker’s encounter was a classic example
of this bite and test behavior. “There wasn’t a hard impact…its mouth wrapped halfway around the hull. It seemed relaxed,” Strosaker recalls. Though they are rare, true shark attacks on
kayaks do happen. According to the Global Shark Attack File, 21 have been recorded since the early 1900s. The only fatalities in that pe- riod were Malibu, California, paddlers Tamara McAllister and Roy Stoddard, who may have paddled into an area where sharks were feeding and been confused with prey. Practice these precautions to stay shark-safe:
Avoid blood in the water and slicks from fish- ing boats. Keep away from cloudy river mouths and suspect waters at dusk and dawn—prime hunting times. To avoid being mistaken for a meal, stay away from large groups of fish, seals or sea lions. If you do see a shark, don’t try to paddle
away. Your splashing paddle could make you look like an injured seal and attract more atten- tion. If a shark is becoming aggressive, a sharp rap on the snout with your paddle may deter it. “The very remote possibility of a shark en-
counter should not outweigh the adventure and beauty of paddling on the ocean,” Scott sum- marizes. “If you are investigated by one of these animals, paddle away with the knowledge that you have experienced something very special.”
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