Possibilty of San Francisco Bay Shark Attack

beallmd · Joined: 10 May 1998 Posts: 1154

There was a shark attack in the Sydney Harbor near the Opera House which is well into the bay, ie; not near the coast where shark attacks are common. The species of shark was not identified as it was very brief encounter, but was a large shark that did serious damage to the diver, a military diver involved in a training exercize. The Sydney Harbor (they spell it Harbour), is about 30 feet deep through most of it's more inland areas. It warms significantly during their summer season. In the run up to the Sydney Olympics they did an assesment of the possibilty of shark attack in the harbor to olympic participants including swimming or overturned boats etc. What they concluded was that Great Whites, White Tips and Tigers would be very unlikely to enter the harbor, all being open water species, but that Bull's would be the greatest risk or a bottom dwelling shark in the harbor called a wobbegong. Mostly the concern was the Bull's, but they only venture that far south during the wamest couple of months of the year. Shark enmeshing begun in 1937 greatly reduced shark attacks in the greater Sydney Area. Since 1965 there have only been about 5 attacks in the harbor and none were fatal. Based on this, it does seem extremely unlikely to encounter a Great White in the San Francisco bay. Resource; http://amonline.net.au/pdf/sharkrpt.pdf Article; http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE51A5SJ20090211?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=22&sp=true

derekd · Joined: 12 Mar 1994 Posts: 73

Correct me if I'm wrong but back in the '80's in clay's free rag it was reported a windsurfer was slogging back between anita rock and the beach and a shark came up and bit his board....

Of course there's that fatal attack in 1959 off bakers beach. Fiance dragged the victim back to shore with shark still in the water and got the medal of honor.

before records were kept well, there was a fatal attack off alameda beach.

kevinkan · Joined: 07 Jun 2001 Posts: 1661 Location: San Francisco

"unlikely" does not mean "impossible". I know when I waterstart quickly when I fall near the gate... esp near the N. Tower. At Berkeley or Da Stick, not so much.

mogunn · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 1307 Location: SF Bay

There was a thread on this subject last year or the year before. Can't remember exactly.

I can remember being told a story from a long-time peninsula resident that a junior great white was caught at or near the Werder Pier (located near the west end of the San Mateo Bridge) and taken to Marine World in Redwood Shores. It died a short time later. I think the timeframe was the late 70's but I can't find any archived news story about it.

That said, 3 or 4 years ago I had an encounter with a large shark about 2 miles off Coyote. Don't know what kind of shark, but it was bigger than my board. Scared the bejeezes out of me.

hemmy007 · Joined: 10 May 2002 Posts: 101

Check the ISAF at University of Florida.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/ISAF/ISAF.htm

Go Gators !

Around crissy possible, but very low probability.
Inside the bay, very low chance.

We know people who had to swim in at herd, six hours after dark, with no problem.

elenna · Joined: 30 Apr 1998 Posts: 97

I'd worry more about the deer population. They cause several hundred fatalities a year.

Epenrose · Joined: 05 Nov 1997 Posts: 402

Great way to cull the Marina crowd.

Whitey for sure will not bite any Fort Point surfer, taste would be far too bitter....

noflyzoneallstar · Joined: 12 Sep 2002 Posts: 22 Location: LA

About as likely as a humpback at Sherman I. probably.

Beware the wobbegongs!

bil7y · Joined: 17 Dec 2002 Posts: 349

http://cbs5.com/goodquestion/good.question.great.2.448521.html

ShreddinEd · Joined: 27 Mar 1994 Posts: 172

The guy off Crissy was probably just a nose ding. I think the shark story was tongue-in-cheek. I think white sharks rarely come into the bay, but that's just my opinion. The worst string of shark attacks on people occurred sometime around the turn of the century in the inland waters of New Jersey of all places. I think these attacks were the basis of the book and movie Jaws.

Off Coyote you see sharks on occasion. I think it's a nurse or sand shark which have almost no teeth. Much more interesting to see in the Bay (and Delta for that matter) and scary looking is a carp, I think. I saw one in the channel, it was about 6 feet long and had this big serrated dorsal fin. Correct me if it's not a carp.

There was a real shark hit at the Coast on a windsurfer's board in 1994. The board used to be in the Haut Shop on Swift street, but was in the Surfing museum in SC for awhile. Must've been a fairly small one, though, because the bit radius was relatively small. I think the biggest danger to ws'ers in the Bay is other windsurfers and the Red and White fleet.