NBC Bay Area recently ran a feature about the increased presence of great white sharks in the region during this time of year. Included in the article is the video above, which recounts the events of August 28, 2007 when Todd Endris was attacked by a great white shark off of Monterey. Endris’ story of being rescued by a pod of dolphins made headlines back in 2007.
The article goes on to discuss white shark sightings in the area and makes the statement that while other species in the ocean are on the decline, “great white populations appear to be on the rise.” The justification in the article for this claim is a quote from Dr. John McCosker stating, “There certainly have been more sightings.”
McCosker’s quote was taken from a San Francisco Chronicle article about white sharks, in which McCosker also stated that while it seemed that there were more sharks in the area, there currently wasn’t enough evidence to support the claim.
The article also references other white shark related events in the area that have been in the news recently including claims that an 18-25′ great white shark was spotted in Pacifica attacking a sea lion. While an 18′ white shark seems reasonable, the upper-end range of 25′ would be off the chart (Dr. McCosker would likely agree, based on the book he co-authored with Richard Ellis on great white sharks).
NBC Bay Area concludes the article with tips on avoiding shark attacks and then throws in a link about shark conservation.