Ben Marcus Rules

Howdy
Aloha yourself.

Nice day.
Glad that June gloom is pau. I can get some sun. I may not be a basking shark, or a bronze whaler, but I like to bask and I like to bronze in the noon-day sun.

Well it was a nice day, and now here we are. You have me at a disadvantage…
Naw, you cool. Not really in the mood to tussle.

“Tussle?” That’s what you call it?

Yep, tussle. White sharks are like cats. Most of the time we’re just cruising but then every once in a while, we get triggered and pounce!

Triggered? Tussle?

Triggered. You know how your Millennials talk about being “triggered.” Like, “Oh dude, I disagree with what you said about LGBTQ. I’m triggered!” Well my kind have a funny little trigger we don’t really control.

Can you reveal what pulls the trigger on your triggering, or is that a species secret and you would be shunned for revealing it to a human?

Take a guess.

Blood?

Nope. Mostly a myth.

Sight?

Nope. Ocean waters where we hang out tend to be cold and murky. Low visibility. This isn’t the tropics. Cold waters run murky. Not sight. Sometimes, but not often.

Actually I know: It’s vibration.

Yep. The whole “Don’t make a noise like a wounded fish” deal. How did you know that?

I’ve interviewed a lot of people who’ve tussled with sharks, and they’re always the ones who were moving. With surfers it’s either they turned to paddle for a wave and KABOOM!

Or they caught a wave, paddled back out and it’s like drifting a fly: “One alligator, two alligator.” CHOMP! Airborne. Fighting. Adrenaline. Fear. Blood. Hospital bills.

Correct. We have receptors in our snouts.

Ampullae of Lorenzini.

Correct, you win a cookie. They are very sensitive. If a seal farts in a kelp bed, we can pick that up. So you don’t want to be around us when we’re triggered.

That’s good to know.

You were splashing around a good bit paddling. I thought you might be a sea lion or something tasty and I was gearing up but then I woke up. You dodged a bullet.

More like a torpedo. The people I have interviewed say that when an attack happens, the first reaction - before fear - is Discovery Channel: “Look at the size of this fricking thing! Feel the power! Merde!”

Yeah, you really don’t want to tussle with us. It’s a losing proposition.

You come here often?
Periodically. 

I think I know who you are.
Do you?

Miss July.
Miss? July? Miss July?

Miss July, yep.
Forget the July part for now, but you’re presuming I’m female? That’s a bit presumptuous. You can’t see my claspers - if I have claspers. 

I believe that proper manners are what distinguish us from the Mongo races, so I would never presume to ask you to roll on your back and show me your claspers. But you’re a big shark - if you don’t mind my saying so - and  the females of your species tend to be larger than males. And females tend to be girthier.

You calling me fat?

No ma’.... how about “big boned?”

How about big cartilaged?

Yep. My bad. As for pronouns, I was just making an educated guess based on what I know - on tussles that have happened around Malibu in July going back to 2011. And “Miss July” is clever. Like a Playboy bunny. All sexy-like. Sharks sell. Sexy sells. Sexy sharks sell seashells by the seashore.

Shark Week sells! Big time.

Yeah just a sec. Let me ask Chat GTP about that. Yep: “Shark Week 2024 achieved strong ratings, marking its highest performance in three years. The event's opening night drew over 5.3 million viewers across Discovery Channel, discovery+, and Max. Key programs like "Belly of the Beast: Feeding Frenzy," "Jaws vs The Meg," and "Serial Killer: Red Sea Attacks" contributed to a notable 9% increase in ratings from the previous year. Discovery Channel ranked #1 in primetime for adults and men in various age demographics throughout the week.”​

Yeah they’re making bank of our backs. How do you come to know so much about white sharks?

I grew up surfing Santa Cruz in the 70s and 80s and worked at SURFER Magazine from 1989 to 1999 and have interviewed a lot of shark attack victims since then. Like a dozen or more…

“Victims?” We prefer “guests,” not “victims.”

Guests. Riiiiiight. Is that any way to treat a guest?

Usually it’s mistaken identity, or territorial. My kind doesn’t like eating your kind. We prefer seals or sea lions or elephant seals, which are like 2000-pound pure pork sausages. '

Humans are barely an hors d'oeuvre. And then there’s wetsuits, and surfboards, and those damned fins getting stuck in the palate, and SCUBA tanks.

Not worth it. Ew.

Well I’ve interviewed many surfers who’ve been “mistakenly identified” and tussled and thrashed about with what seems like great violence and furious anger. Some of these dudes were swarthy, 250-pound, super-fit surfer dudes who aren’t accustomed to getting thrown around like ragdolls.

They all say it was “intense, bro.” The human brain goes to a place the human brain used to go to a lot, the “Holy shit! Something’s trying to eat me!” part of the brain, wherever that is.
It gets a reaction, and I’ve got bruises on my snout to prove it.

You speak of the Ampullae of Lorenzini.

The same.

Who is this Lorenzini person anyway? We knew a guy named Loren Zelmer growing up. He was the first one to have Stoker skateboard wheels. That caused a buying frenzy, anyway.
Why you asking me? You’ve got the waterproof omnipotent magic box in your hand.

Oh right, sorry. Chat GPT says:

Ampullae of Lorenzini

The ampullae of Lorenzini are specialized electroreceptors found in cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays, and skates. These receptors are used to detect electric fields in the water, which helps these animals locate prey, navigate, and sense their environment. Here are some key points about the ampullae of Lorenzini:

- **Structure**: The ampullae consist of jelly-filled canals that end in small pores on the skin surface. These canals connect to bulbous structures called ampullae, which contain sensory cells.

- **Function**: They can detect weak electric fields generated by the muscle contractions and bioelectric signals of other organisms. This capability is particularly useful in hunting, as it allows sharks and rays to detect hidden or buried prey.

- **Sensitivity**: The ampullae are incredibly sensitive, capable of detecting electric fields as weak as 5 nanovolts per centimeter.

- **Distribution**: These receptors are primarily located on the head of the animal, around the snout and on the underside of the body.

### Who was Lorenzini?

Stefano Lorenzini was an Italian physician and anatomist in the 17th century. Here are some details about him:

- **Time Period**: He lived during the 1600s, with his work primarily conducted in the mid-17th century.

- **Contribution**: Lorenzini is best known for his discovery and detailed description of the electroreceptive organs in sharks and rays, which were later named after him (the ampullae of Lorenzini).

- **Publications**: His observations were published in his work "Osservazioni intorno alle torpedini" in 1678, where he documented his findings on the sensory structures in these animals.

Lorenzini's work was pioneering for his time and laid the foundation for future research into the sensory systems of marine animals.

So there you go. Ampullae of Lorenzini. That’s our triggering receptor. But when our guests tussle back and smack us there, it fricking hurts, dude. Sensitive!

Well tussles aren’t too fun either. One minute your guests are out there diggin’ the scene in the sunny surf, next minute they’re in a helicopter, headed for the shady turf of the nearest trauma unit.

They all end up in the hospital, cut to ribbons, full of stitches and staples, hooked up to blood and saline, mentally scarred and scared to death, shocked and awed they’re still alive but worrying about medical bills and future use of limbs. Will I walk again?!?!?! WILL I SURF AGAIN!!!?!?!?!

Anyone I know?

Eric Larsen was the first interview when I started at SURFER Magazine - way back when in July of 1991 at Davenport. 

Up north. I think they call the spot Shark Bite Right. Red Triangle. Before my time. Way before.

Yep, there’s a surf spot there at Davenport called Shark Bite Right. But Larsen was surfing the left on the east side when he got chomped. The thing lifted him up from below and he thought, “I hope that’s an elephant seal.”

Nope. It was Mr. White. Larsen kept his head, reached in with both arms to free his leg and remembers thinking “There’s a lot of room in here!!!” That was bad and then the shark got wrapped up in his leash and started towing him out to sea.

Scary.

I dubbed him “Lucky Larsen” because he also had been struck by lightning while mountaineering.

You’re a name-caller, aren’t you? “Miss July.” “Lucky Larsen.” 

Shark happens.

Ho ho ha ha. Everyone’s a comedian. You should make t-shirts.

During the 90s there were several “guest incidents” while I worked at SURFER Magazine. I don’t remember the names of the guests and they were way up north - like Fort Bragg area -  but I do remember noticing that the calls would come in late August, September and October.

We are, in many ways, creatures of habit. Fall is definitely prime time north of Point Conception.

My suspicions about an autumn spike in attacks were confirmed when Ralph Collier published Shark Attacks of the 20th Century: From the Pacific Coast of North America. He had them all detailed from 1900 - 1999 - the first was on a dog in Alameda Bay, strangely - and then broke them down by month, activity, sex of the vict… guest, etc. And no question there was a spike during our fall.

If I wasn’t a shark I wouldn’t be caught dead in the water between Surf Beach and Salmon Creek between August and November for all the halibut in Alaska.

You like halibut? My Top Five are 1. Bluefin tuna. 2. Mahi Mahi. 3. Salmon. 4. Halibut. 5. Ahi. Eat fresh!

Well you’d get arrested if you tried mine: 1. Dead gray whale. 2. Elephant seal. 3. Sea lion. 4. Seal. 5. Sea otter.

I took the train from San Jose to Los Angeles many years ago. Ever done that? It’s a cool ride… oh, sorry. Anyway. I was tour guiding a bunch of English types. We passed Surf Beach and I said: “If you wanna get attacked by a shark, go out there in October.” Sure enough, “Shark Attack Claims Life of Bodyboarder in Santa Barbara Jeff Mull Oct 23, 2010 A 19-year-old bodyboarder was attacked and killed by a shark in Santa Barbara this morning. According to a report on CNN, Lucas McKaine Ransom of Romoland, California, was bitten in the left leg by a shark estimated to be "14 to 20 feet in length" while bodyboarding at Surf Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base with another friend. He was later pronounced dead by first responders.”

You called that one.

GALERIE DE MEGAN HALAVAIS

Interview with Megan Halavais: https://www.surfer.com/features/sharkmegan05

Speaking of Salmon Creek… Megan Halavais tussled with a huge shark at Salmon Creek in October of 2005. Kit Horn’s son Brit was the lifeguard and he said the thing was giant. 

We go big. What’s the line from Jaws? “Twenty five feet. Three tons of him.”

Getting nearly mauled to death by a shark is bad enough, but she didn’t have medical insurance and really got mauled. 

Salmon Creek. I know it well.

You’ve spent time up there?

That’s one of our hangs. If it’s fall, that’s where you’ll find us. Some of us. A lovely stretch of beach, especially in the fall.

I know a surfboard collector in Malibu who wanted a board that had been chomped. I connected him with Megan and she sold that board for four figures. I think she used the dough for an Indo trip.

Your heart soars with the aloha of the Hawaiian peoples.

I used that board in a book: 365 Surfboards.

ERIC STEINLEY SHARK ATTACK AT SALMON CREEK

Well a guy named Eric Steinley got chomped in the same place in October of 2001. Which kind of sucked. NorCal surfers wait through windy spring and summer and can’t surf. Then fall hits, the fog disappears, the sky is blue, the winds are offshore - and he gets chomped by a damn shark. Out of the water for months.

On behalf of my misunderstood species, I apologize.

I interviewed him - and got him a new wetsuit - and was a bit glib when I said: “If you want to get bit by a shark, go surf Salmon Creek in October.”

That is correct - for Surf Beach and Salmon Creek and points in between and beyond. But do people listen? Nope. For an apex predator - on land anyway - humans can be clueless when it comes to the ocean. Humans should consider themselves lucky that my kind doesn’t like to eat your kind. It would be a charnel house.

Yes I’ve said that before and said the same thing about orca. If killer whales took an interest in humans, we would be in deep kimchi. Killer whales would play Pickleball with humans before they bothered to chomp them.

(Miss July swims away and then returns, with a change in demeanor.)

Did I say something wrong? Are you triggered??!?!?!?

“Orca” is a four-letter word to my kind. Those bad boys are big and fast and they are clever bastards. We’re the apex predator until Team Orca show face, and then we get beta-ed. Second rung. Guests.

Complex behaviors. Quoting from Chat GPT again: “An orca, or killer whale, has a brain that is quite large compared to many other animals. On average, an orca's brain weighs about 5.6 kilograms (12.3 pounds). This substantial brain size reflects the orca's complex behaviors and high level of intelligence, including advanced social structures, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities.”

I don’t dig those orcinus orca, at all. No mistaken identity with those suckers. They eat it all: penguins to white sharks to elephant seals. Smiling the whole time, the balleen bastards.

Balleen? According to Chat GPT: “No, orcas (killer whales) are not considered baleen whales. They belong to the toothed whale suborder, Odontoceti, which includes species that have teeth instead of baleen plates. Orcas use their teeth to capture and eat prey such as fish, seals, and other marine mammals.

Baleen whales, on the other hand, belong to the suborder Mysticeti. These whales have baleen plates made of keratin in their mouths, which they use to filter small organisms like krill and plankton from the water. Examples of baleen whales include blue whales, humpback whales, and gray whales.”

Whatever. Teeth. You bet they have teeth. Orca are the Hannibal Lechter of the Seven Seas: “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice key-aunty!”

Yep my friends still crazy enough to dive the Farallons say the only time it’s really safe is when the orca are around, because the white sharks scamper. Disappear. Go to Alameda or Mavericks or wherever.

See that big scar behind my dorsal?

Ow. Boat?

Orca, off of San Simeon. I was zeroed in on an elephant seal when an orca came from out of nowhere and took a bite. I can’t believe I escaped. Can’t believe it snuck up on me. Can’t believe I came out of that with just a scar.

All the white shark attack vict… guests I’ve interviewed say the same things about shark attacks: Didn’t see it coming, couldn’t believe how big and powerful they are, thought they were gonna die, couldn’t believe they lived, couldn’t believe something that big could sneak up on them - in 10 feet or less of water.

Circle of life, man. Always a bigger fish. Orca are smart and I think maybe smart enough to realize if they started going after humans, the humans would start going after them and then it would be on for young and old. A tribal bloodbath. Super ugly for all involved.

Yeah you know? Let’s ask the all-knowing, omnipotent Chat GPT about that. “Why don’t orca attack humans?”

Orcas, or killer whales, are known for their intelligence and complex social structures. There are several reasons why they typically do not attack humans in the wild:

1. **Diet Preferences**: Orcas have specific diets depending on their ecotype. Some orcas primarily eat fish, while others hunt marine mammals. Humans are not part of their natural diet.

2. **Curiosity Rather Than Aggression**: When orcas encounter humans, they often exhibit curiosity rather than aggression. They may approach boats or swimmers to investigate, but this behavior is generally non-threatening.

3. **Experience and Learning**: Orcas learn hunting techniques and behaviors from their pods. Since attacks on humans are not part of their learned behavior, they do not usually target humans as prey.

4. **Injuries and Consequences**: Wild orcas might recognize the potential danger and consequences of attacking an unfamiliar and potentially threatening creature like a human.

5. **Differences in Prey Recognition**: Orcas use echolocation and other senses to identify prey. Humans do not resemble their typical prey in shape, sound, or movement, which might lead orcas to disregard them as potential food sources.

Although rare, there have been isolated incidents where orcas have shown aggression towards humans, usually in captivity. In the wild, however, orcas are generally not a threat to people.

In October of 2022, I drove all the way to Castro Valley to interview Lee Fontan after he got hit and bit at Bolinas. He caught a wave and someone dropped in on him. He paddled back out angrily, sat way out on the sandbar and heard something behind him. Thought it was a buddy. Nope. It was Mr. White, ready to tussle.

Fontan said he felt like a frog getting hit by a large mouth bass. 

Yeah the people surfing Bolinas are loco. That place is like an In N Out Burger for my kind. The big pinnipeds breed inside the lagoon, and there’s one way in and out. Easy pickings.

I found Fontan in the trauma unit in Castro Valley, almost 40 miles from the beach. I saw his pre- and post-op photos. Ew. Got him a new wetsuit. I took photos of him and then the other feeding frenzy started - the media were all over me for the photos and the story. That’s what a lot of attack victims say: The media is the second feeding frenzy. Humans are obsessed with other humans being attacked by non-human animals.

Well there’s two places humans aren’t the apex predator - in the ocean and at night. So…..

GALERIE DE TODD ENDRISS (RIP 1983 - 2016)

Interview with Todd Endriss, September 2, 2007. He claims dolphin tried to protect him before and after the attack/tussle:

https://www.surfer.com/surfing-magazine-archive/great-white-shark-attack-monterrey-todd-endris-090207

Todd Endriss at Moss Landing on August 28, 2007. My birthday!

Happy birthday.

Not for Todd it wasn’t. That thing tore him up pretty good. Next thing you know he was on a helicopter headed for the Trauma Unit in Santa Clara.

I think I know who was responsible for that one. She felt bad about it after, but you know, the seal thing, low visibility. And she was preggers and if you think pregnant human women are grumpy…

I think the only time I’ve seen a white shark is when I slept overnight at the parking lot in Monterey by the Coast Guard station. I looked out and saw a VLS (Very Large Splash). The divers say there’s one that cruises the kelp bed out there. Coulda been the same one.

Very possible. Some of us swim all the way to Hawaii. Some of us never cross the county line.

You use some Hawaiian expressions. Do you spend a lot of time in the islands?

I’ve been there. It’s a long haul, but the water - luscious. And oooo I love me some mahi mahi and ahi. 

Sharkshimi.

There you go with the dubbing again. I’ve even caught an ulua or two. Not easy. Those suckers are rapido and akamai. They run for the reef and try to hide, so you gotta have imua!

Okay it’s coming back to me now. Way back in September of 1984, my friend Guzzy and his dive buddy Ernie Morgan were prying abs at Pigeon Point when Omar Conger was mistakenly identified by a white shark. Killed him. Ernie used to dive for abs out at the Farallones with a hookah rig and it wasn’t “Well I see a white shark??!!” it’s “How many white sharks will I see?!?” and “What sort of mood will they be in??!?!”

Yeah, the word “Oahu” means “The Gathering Place” but that’s true for the Farallones too. It’s like a touchstone for our kind. A beacon, or whatever. 

Spooky.

Yep. Lot of wind and current and movement out there. Like a haunted house. And we’re the bats.

And then one time Guzzy, Ernie and Doug Hansen went diving on the back side of Ano Nuevo Island.

Yeeeeeah I wouldn’t do that. Bad idea. Very bad. Are you freaking kidding me? Death wish!

I wouldn’t dare go back of Ano Nuevo Island, and I’m a white shark!

They learned. Doug got his mask kicked off by something and it scared the crap out of him. Literally, I think. They were standing waist-deep on a rock wondering whether to try to swim to shore or their boat - which were both more than a hundred yards away - when an angry elephant seal went past.

Don’t want to mess with them either. I’ve had some tussles with elephant seals. They’re big, but they can move. It’s not the elephant seal in the fight, but the fight in the elephant seal. When animals are fighting for their lives, they’re capable of anything.

Everyone fights back, that’s something else I’ve learned. Chicks, kayakers, kids. Everyone fights back.

Yep, they go for the snout. Ampullae of lorenzini. Very sensitive there. The equivalent of kicking a human where it counts.

So the Miss July thing is based on a couple of incidents around here. July 22, 2007, Vic Calandra and Joey Everett right here in The Malibu. 

Those were the two dudes on the paddleboards? About a mile off Cher’s house?

Yep. You know them?

Perhaps.

So that was you. Don’t be coy.
Maybe yes, maybe no. Does Cher still own that house? I like her song Believe.

I believe she does. She cut the price from $85,000,000 to $75,000,000 but no takers.  So getting back to my presumptuous handle for you: Miss July, I offer this in my defense. Vic and Joe were July 22, the third week of July. 

Two years later, on July 24, 2009 a headless seal washed up on the beach and there were suspicions it was the victim - sorry… guest - of a big shark that had been spotted thrashing about offshore.

Was that Escondido? Between Latigo and Paradise Cove?

Yeah, how did you know?

Lucky guess.

That same week - the third week in July mind you - a dude named Dave Ogle was flying along the coast in a helicopter, shooting a promo for a Canadian guy who gave helicopter tours. He swung out to sea straight out from Pepperdine, looked down and saw something large just surface cruising, about a quarter mile from shore. "It was too big for a dolphin, not big enough for a whale," Ogle said. "I knew right away what it was."

Do tell.

On July 24, 2009, a guy named Nick Matzorkis saw a white shark directly out from his house, “about half a mile from Malibu Pier.” Not sure if they meant east or west. 

 On July 14, 2011, surfers and lifeguards saw a 15-foot white shark splashing about off County Line Beach.  You see a through-line here?

July.

Original Miss July story here: https://patch.com/california/malibu/bp--the-return-of-miss-july

Not just July, the third week of July. Way back in 2011 I came up with a handle for these shark sightings. “Miss July.” Might be referring to just one shark, or a number of them, but it’s all July. The third week of July.

Could white sharks be that punctual? I thought our kind had small brains. 

Lets ask Chat GPT.
AI. Scary,

AI. Useful.
You get signal way out here?

Yep. 

Who do you use?

TracFone. Only the best.  Okay. Chat GPT says: “The brain of a white shark, also known as the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), is relatively small compared to its body size. On average, the brain of a great white shark is about the size of a grapefruit and weighs approximately 1.2 ounces (34 grams). Despite its small size, the brain of a great white shark is well-developed and capable of complex behaviors, such as hunting strategies and navigation.”

Complex behaviors.

No offense, but an orca brain is 111.11 times larger than a white shark brain. Hmmm, 111 is my lucky number, weird.

We are as the Creator made us.

I’ve talked to shark experts who say certain sharks will show up at the same place, on the same day, years in a row.

Well speaking from my own experience, we do seem to have habits and compulsions that are built in to our petite Gullivers. 

Not learned?

I don’t think so, it’s just there: a little voice that tells me to be in a certain place, at a certain time, and I follow that voice. It’s a supernatural thing.

Like steelhead swimming from the mouth of the Columbia and all the way to Russia, but somehow finding their way back to the Columbia and swimming all the way to Stanley Fricking Idaho.

Like that.

Supernatural thing.

Yep.

So, what’s next for Miss July? If I may continue calling you that.

Be my guest.

Where to from here?

North by northwest.

Let me guess: Surf Beach, San Simeon, Point Sur, Coast Guard Beach in Monterey, Moss Landing, La Selva to Manresa.

Check. You know much that is hidden.

Increase in juvenile white sharks in the Monterey Bay:

https://abc7news.com/post/monterey-bay-seeing-unusual-surge-juvenile-white-sharks/14950983/

Well I grew up in the Monterey Bay and know California well. When Climate Change Deniers say it’s all a hoax, I point to drone shots of 40 of you lot along the east curve of the Monterey Bay. Forty! Those beaches from Moss Landing to Manresa have always given me the creeps. But now?!?!?!! Forgetaboutit!

Yeah it’d be like walking into a bar full of drunk bikers with samurai swords in each hand. Best to stay away.

Imagine if all of a sudden there were 40 white sharks visible between Malibu Pier and Point Dume. People would be freaking out!

Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t dig it - or the lifeguars - but that’s not going to happen along here. Yet.

Why now all of a sudden in the Monterey Bay?

Global warming. Climate change. We love water temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees up to about 75, and that area has warmed up. Also, when our kind give birth, the females leave immediately or we will eat our own young. So we give birth along there and they have to fend for themselves and feed immediately: Stingrays, small sharks right along the shore.

Is that where you’re from?

Nope, I was born right here in the Santa Monica Bay. Just down from the pier. Same deal. Water temperature and fending for ourselves at birth. That’s why there’s a white shark presence in the Santa Monica Bay.

Well you’re definitely a presence right now.

Miss July.

Am I wrong?

You’re close.

You know, you could hire yourself out to the locals to cruise through the lineup at First Point on crowded days and scatter everyone to the beach and thin the crowds. You could make bank doing that.
What would I do with money? I have the ocean. I have my health. I have my freedom. I have everything I need.

THE PADDLE OUT FOR JACK O’NEILL
Aerial Photos by Boots McGhee

So back up in NorCal: In July of 2017 they had a memorial paddle out for Jack O’Neill - the guy who created those wetsuits that make humans look like seals. I know the dudes who made all the arrangements for parking, access and whatnot. It was a big deal.

So day of: a bunch of boats came out of Santa Cruz Harbor -Sea Odyssey, Marie Celine, outrigger canoes - and formed a semi-circle outside the kelp bed at Pleasure Point: an area where hundreds of people were going to paddle and swim out and splash around and vibrate like wounded fish. As they’re setting up, a 15-foot white shark jumped in front of everyone. Geez!

Yeah, I know that dude. He’s a prankster. Kind of a jerk, really. Even for a white shark.

No one got tussled, so that’s good.
Yep that could have been ugly.

So if you don’t add to the 40 between Manresa and Capitola, I assume you’ll keep on truckin;’ north, into the Red Triangle: Scott’s Creek, Ano Nuevo, Tunitas Creek.

Yep. 

You know what Jeff Clark calls Tunitas Creek?

“Don’t Eat Us Creek.” I know. I’ve heard. Ho ho ha ha, it is to laugh.

Years ago Clark was surfing Ross’ Cove, just north of Mavericks. He kicked out and felt something large pass underneath him. He didn’t get chomped, but it spooked him.
I’m sure it’s a spooky feeling. Like hearing orca somewhere off in the murk, but can’t see them. Oi.

Up at Mavericks, two guys saw a shark had chomped their rescue sled. I forget the year. And then Peck Euer had a close encounter in September of 2000. No injury. And then in 2019, a big shark cruised through the lineup and scattered the crowd. Do you know who that was?

Same guy as the O'Neill deal, every time. He has a sick sense of humor. I avoid him.

Shark spooks the crowd at Mavericks, March 2019: https://abc7news.com/great-white-sharks-biggest-mavericks-surf-competition-2019-bay-area/5216988/

Sorry, I wonder if this was the same rascal who spooked everyone at the O’Neill paddle out and Mavericks. And there’s this dude, on what looks like an A+ day at the Beach. He’s turning to paddle into a bomb and then around 22 seconds, he gets buzzed by a fin going Mach Jesus. Geez Louise that would suck! What do you do? Freeze? Or paddle like mad?!?!? I wonder if this was your rascal friend.
Not a friend. I don’t dig that shark. He’s kind of a… clasper. But oi vey. That could have been a tussle. The surfer turned, vibrated, water is murky, shark looks agitated. Recipe for chomp.

But yeah, that’s the same O’Neill paddle out and Mavericks dude. He’s all spook, no bite. So far.

Well thanks for a nice chat. You spooked me there for a minute with that big fun, but you’ve been quite pleasant.

I’ve enjoyed our chat. It can be lonely, being a white shark. A pariah. Most humans don’t stick around long enough to hang.

I’m gonna paddle down to the pier and back, want to come with? Maybe you could spook the crowd at First and I could snag a few.

Be my guest….

A MUST BOOK FOR SHARK WEEK GEEKS

Wow if you read this all the way to here - thank you for being a SharkGeek.

If you want to know more, definitely find Ralph Collier’s Shark Attacks of the 20th Century from the Pacific Coast of North America.

http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/

This book details and does stats on every shark attack from 1990 to 1999. It needs an update for all that has been happening since, but this book will give you good insight into the migration, predation, emotion, digestion and sensationalism of white sharks.