Watch: Sharks Swim With Surfers At San Onofre
Sharks seem to be everywhere these days.
They’re in the news and our surf spots.
For instance, we recently reported two shark attacks in one day in New York and someone paddling out through a cluster of sharks in Florida.
And now, one photog’s latest drone footage shows a handful of great whites cruising around the lineup at San Onofre near oblivious surfers.
On Sunday, Kevin Christopherson posted the clip on Instagram, showing some sizable juvenile great whites enjoying a glassy session with the crowd. The video shows the sharks swimming close to people waiting for waves and others coming down the line.
Christopherson captioned the video, “#greatwhiteshark (5!) chillen in the lineup at San Onofre!”
San Onofre is a known great white breeding ground. But Christopherson said a park ranger explained that it also serves as a feeding ground for them thanks to a whale buffet caused by “beached” whales stuck between rocks underwater.
It’s always a bit cringeworthy seeing sharks hanging around surfers, but we really shouldn’t be surprised. It’s their home, after all.
Earlier this month we reported a recent study from Cal State Long Beach’s Shark Lab which surveyed different surf breaks via drone. It found that sharks were near surfers 97% of the time in SoCal.
People who commented on the video sure backed that up:
“Saw a fin surface next to my board a month or so ago down there,” one commenter wrote.
“Saw a bunch of them at san o on July 4th. They’re active as heck lately,” said someone else.
“A great white jumped out of the water on the 2nd when I was at uppers,” wrote another.
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