Re: Sharks

Roy T. Fielding (fielding@kiwi.ics.uci.edu)
Tue, 20 Apr 1999 17:15:21 -0700


>In Laguna Beach, there is a small cove just north of the main beach
>that is mostly rock. There is a pack of 40-60 leopard sharks that
>live in the cove ranging from 6 or 8 inches to about 5 feet. At worst
>they are skittish, at best they are docile or even friendly.

Yep -- the name sounds tough, but the only way they'd bite you is if
you stuck a foot in their mouth while they slept.

The closest encounter I had was with a 4 foot blue shark (the only
aggressive type that regularly visits the Laguna shore area). It circled
me a couple time while I was spearfishing in Three Arch Bay, but judging
from its eye it was more concerned about me than I was of it. However,
I decided that fishing was done for the day -- blues are known to become
irrational when there is fish blood in the water.

In the 15 or so years I spent snorkeling around Three Arch Bay while
growing up, that single blue is the only dangerous shark I ever saw. The
others were all bottom-feeders (leopard, horned, and guitar sharks).
There are many other shark types beyond the coastal shelf, but most of
them prefer colder waters.

....Roy