For some reason many people think that great white sharks do not go into kelp. My friend Peter Horworth is sure that they do and figures that they are in the kelp all the time, they just don’t let us see them. As Peter says, the killer whale – orca – goes into the kelp after pinnipeds, why not the great white shark. It’s hard to believe that the white sharks, after so many years of evolving into the formidable predators they are, go hungry instead of venturing into the kelp! Peter should know given his vast experience in the California Channel Islands and his dedication to running the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Rescue Center.
Apparently the shark shown in this image bit a harbor seal in half, swallowed half of it and then meandered into the kelp. Photo was taken in September 2009 by a fellow fishing off Cambria, California. Safe diving.
– Captain Mike
A more detailed shot of the great white shark in Cambria
Well, count me out for surfing in Cambria any time soon.
I always thought the place was a little shark sketchy to begin with. But when fisherman Jim McKell sent us this photo of a great white today, that pretty much sealed the deal.
Ha! Get it? Sealed the deal?
Oh, wait — I haven’t told you the seal part yet.
According to McKell, he was in his boat with some buddies about a half mile from Moonstone Beach when the great white surfaced with a harbor seal in its mouth. The shark then proceded to snap the seal in half, taking only 50 percent of the meal (which to me seems a bit wasteful).
Anyway, when I first heard of the photo, I was expecting to see a shark’s gnarly smile with a seal in its mouth. Instead, we got fins. And that’s cool. But I thought our readers wanted to see more of the shark, so I offer you this artist rendition, which not only shows how big the shark is, but also shows how really bad I am with time management.
-By Pat | thetribunenews.com
A more detailed shot of the great white shark in Cambria – By Pat | thetribunenews.com
