Shark

Santa Cruz Shaper Ben Kelly Killed By Shark

by The Editors on May 11, 2020

The Santa Cruz surf community is in mourning as word spread that the surfer killed by a shark Saturday, May 9, 2020  at Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz County was 26-year-old Ben Kelly, owner of Ben Kelly Surfboards, according to a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel

On Saturday, Gabe McKenna, public safety superintendent with California State Parks, said a person flagged down a lifeguard patrolling the area to report the attack. . . The water 1 mile south and 1 mile north of the attack will be closed for five days, until Thursday.

This is the first fatal shark attack in California since October 23, 2012 when a surfer at Surf Beach in Santa Barbara County was killed by a Great White shark. 

[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]

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Shark Hits Montaña de Oro State Park

by The Editors on January 10, 2019

Cal Poly surfer Nick Wapner, 19, was surfing Tuesday morning (January 8, 2019) at Montaña de Oro State Park when a Great White Shark snuck up below him and gave him a chomp across his legs and surfboard, according to a story in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

He didn’t even see a splash. . . “It all happened quickly, but I turned and saw that it had one of my legs in its mouth,” Wapner said. . . The shark bit down on the lower part of his legs around his ankles, and then up to his thighs. In a skirmish that he estimates lasted a few seconds — though his mind was racing and it’s hard to say exactly — Wapner kicked the shark hard in the head and wrangled himself free. . . The experienced surfer said he didn’t feel any pain initially as adrenaline shot through his body.

Wapner thinks the shark was in the 15 foot range. Luckily, Nick got away with only 50 stitches.

[Link: San Luis Obispo Tribune]

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Bodyboarder Dies In Cape Cod Shark Attack

by The Editors on September 17, 2018

On Saturday September 15, 2018 bodyboarder Arthur Medici, 26, of Revere, Massachusetts, was attacked by a shark at Newcomb Hollow Beach at Cape Cod, according to the National Park Service. He was pulled out of the water and taken to Cape Cod Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a story in the New York Times.

Medici was attacked around noon as he and a friend were boogie boarding. The friend dragged him ashore, and people on the beach attempted life-saving measures including CPR and applying tourniquets. He was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead.

This is the first shark attack death in the area since 1936, however, it is the second attack in over a month, according to the story. The beach remains closed.

[Link: New York Times]

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Stay Outta The Shark’s House

by The Editors on August 16, 2018

A little reminder from Sister Pooh.

[Link: The Newport Buzz]

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Margaret River Cancelled By Sharks

by The Editors on April 18, 2018

A certain privately owned entertainment company specializing in event and online streamed content production (mostly surfing sport) has reportedly shut down their production at Western Australia’s Margaret River due to sharks.

Following two separate incidents that occurred at nearby Gracetown on Monday, April 16, approximately 6 kms away from primary competition site at Main Break, the [company] actioned safety protocols and met with a variety of stakeholders for feedback over the past 48 hours before making the decision to cancel the event.

So, guess that’s one’s over. Seems this whole surfing content production business would be much more profitable if they’d simply shoot it TV style on a sound stage somewhere. They could shot a whole season in three weeks and then distribute it online over the year.

If only there were a TV production facility that had perfect waves and no sharks. . . wait, doesn’t Kelly Slater have a ranch somewhere that could accommodate this kind of production schedule? Think of it — surfers would no longer have to travel the world all year. They could stay in one place, get their work done in one month, and then spend the rest of the year free surfing at home. People who wanted to watch them surf could travel to the ranch, buy tickets and watch. Kelly’s ranch could become the Branson, Missouri of surfing. If only. . . 

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Shark Hits Oregon Surfer

by The Editors on October 12, 2016

A 29-year-old surfer was hit by a shark while surfing Indian Beach at Ecola State Park on the Oregon coast on Monday, October 10, 2016, according to story on Fox News.

The animal bit 29-year-old Joseph Tanner on his upper and lower thigh, investigators said. Tanner had been surfing along Indian Beach at Ecola State Park at around 4 p.m. when the attack unfolded. . . He told emergency personnel that the shark was “medium-big” and thought it could’ve been a great white shark but said he wasn’t sure, according to KGW-TV. The shark pulled him off of his surfboard and he swam to shore, police said.

Tanner, who works as a trauma nurse, was able to direct his own first aid with the help of others on the scene. He was stabilized and then flown to a Portland hospital with what were described as serious injuries.

[Link: Fox News]

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New Smyrna Sharks 3, Surfers 0

by The Editors on September 20, 2016

We haven’t really been on the shark attack beat so rigorously lately, because really, how many stories does anyone want to read about New Smyrna Beach, Florida. But Sunday, September 18, 2016 will go down as one of the sharkiests of days in shark bite city, according to the International Business Times (yeah, they’re chumming for link bait, too).

In the space of five hours sharks attacked three surfers at a single Florida beach, while a teenage boy was bitten on a second beach.

If you want the chomp-by-chomp coverage click the link. The good news is no one is dead. The bad news, is that Volusia County’s attacks this year are tracking up from last year. If you can believe it.

[Link: IB Times]

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The Shallows Puts Another Nail In Surf Coffin

by The Editors on May 9, 2016

In this new girl-out-of-water story Blake Lively stars as surfer girl Nancy who gets hit by a shark while surfing in paradise and then must struggle to survive.

Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy’s ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.

We’re guessing viewers will need similar skills just to sit through The Shallows, but who knows maybe it will surprise us. The film opens in North America on June 29, 2016.

[Link: The Shallows]

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Great White Gets Air In SoCal

by The Editors on April 21, 2016

What is cooler than recording surfing on a GoPro using your “3d printed mouth mount”? Well, for SoCal surfer Drew Palumbo it’s catching footage of a great white shark blasting into the air just off Sunset Beach, California on April 18, 2016.

I was out surfing with my friend Ben Slaybeck. After taking some drone footage of him, I put my GoPro onto my 3d printed mouthmount and went out to catch some waves for myself. Shortly after, I paddled out toward a wave, pressed record, and caught a great white shark breaching from about a 100ft away or so.

They are out there and now we know for sure. We also know how grunty it sounds when you surf with a camera in your mouth. Thanks, Drew!

[Link: LA Times]

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Mick Fanning Attacks A Shark At J-Bay

by The Editors on July 19, 2015

It was every surfer’s biggest nightmare and over the past 12 hours it has become the leading news of the day. During the final of the J-Bay Open today (July 19, 2015) between Julian Wilson and Mick Fanning a shark swam over and tried to take a nip our of defending champion and three-time world champ Fanning.

“I was just cruising and waiting for my turn, my opportunity and I knew Julian (Wilson) was down the point,” Fanning said. “I was just about to get moving and start paddling again and all of a sudden I had this instinct that something was behind me. I started getting pulled underwater and then the thing came up and I was on my board and it was right there. I saw the whole thing thrashing around but I was getting dragged under by my leg rope. I felt like it kicked me off but it was still there going and I was still attached to my board. I felt like I punched it a couple of times and then it was dragging me and then my leg rope broke.”

Fanning tried to yell to Julian Wilson for him to get out of the water, but Wilson was already on his way to help Fanning.

“Mick (Fanning) was kind of out in no man’s land so I was really watching him and had my eyes on him,” said Wilson. “Mick (Fanning) was looking down the point and I saw the whole thing pop up behind him. It came up and he was wrestling it. I saw him get knocked off his board and then a wave popped up and I thought, ‘he’s gone’. I felt like I couldn’t get there quick enough. The results don’t mean anything to me, I’m just happy he’s alive. I literally thought when I was paddling for him that I wasn’t going to get there in time, especially when I saw him off his board and swimming away. I thought it was going to grab him and take him under. I’m so happy we’re both on the beach right now, I was so worried about Mick’s life.”

Both surfers were immediately removed from the water by contest water patrol and neither had a scratch on them. The contest was halted and Fanning and Wilson were given equal second place finishes and split the prize money.

We are so unbelievably overjoyed that it turned out the way it did and will be forever inspired by Julian Wilson’s heroic act. For the official word (and complete results) please follow the jump.

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