There is a reason they call it Sharktober.

[southwesterly]

This just happened at Ledbetter Beach in Santa Barbara yesterday 10-19-2014.
Glad she was safe. Too bad for the ama on the OC1.

http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=142530

[madmax]

In FL we get stitches from shark bites.  In Cali and the islands, you just be gone.

[SlatchJim]

Leadbetter is my daughter's home break, but the attack occured 2 miles out from the lighthouse.  The Edhat article title leads you to believe it happens right there along the shore.  I'm waiting for Edhat's "Ebola devastates the US" headline. 

[headmount]

We had a proner get a 14" semicircle bit on his board off Maalaea day before yesterday during the Ana storm surf (with lotsa rain)  and this morning inside Kahului harbor, a SUP supposed got a piece bitten out of his board. 

Is it true that each inch of a semi circular bite equals a foot in shark length?  If true that meant a 14 footer for the first guy.

That's my birthday for you, lightening, thunder and shark attacks.

[SeaMe]

She seems to have taken it in stride and I can't help but wonder if her Shark Week interview will reflect that, or if they'll turn it into "Afternoon Terror!!!"

[Gramps]

Happy birthday! headmount.

[supthecreek]

That's gotta be pretty frightening... knocked out of your boat while the shark continues to bite it.... yikes! She was very cool... did all the right things.
I am glad that she was able to get to shore before the ama filled with water.

I wonder if it is something in particular about Kayaks and OC that interests sharks.... a GW bit a kayak in Stoney's area around Plymouth last month... two girls knocked into the water offshore, it hit one with so much force that it knocked her friend out of her kayak as well....no way to get the boats empty and re-board. They had to wait in the water for some time before rescue. Must have needed to change their shorts after floating around with a GW for a half hour

The video shows how shook they were:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/09/03/kayakers-attacked-great-white-shark-off-plymouth/HkVyWsWwG6U4ZumAPuIBjN/story.html

[digger71]

Looks like the tigers are getting involved in Shartober as well

http://www.grindtv.com/action-sports/surf/post/pro-surfer-kaleo-roberson-fights-tiger-shark/

[Bulky]

I paddled off Ledbetter this morning.  One account I read had her not 2 but 3 miles offshore.  Maybe it's just part of what I tell myself to rationalize things, but that's awfully far out.  Not like sharks know the difference between 1, 2 or 3 miles but I'd at least like to know I have a reasonable chance of getting cell reception and paddling myself in.  As it is, once I'm 300+ yards out (like every morning), I'm invisible to anyone onshore unless they know right where to look.  I don't really want to know how close I've been to a great white, but I have to figure it's happened quite a few times.

The story that really gets me is the one from earlier this month a big north of here.  I guess only a fisherman would know what it takes to watch one of your buddies get attacked by a shark...and just keep fishing.  I'm pretty sure my session on the water would be done after the first attack.

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/fishermen_rescue_vandenberg_air_force_base_20141004

[bts]

Looks like the tigers are getting involved in Shartober as well

http://www.grindtv.com/action-sports/surf/post/pro-surfer-kaleo-roberson-fights-tiger-shark/

And an sup-er got the tail of his board munched yesterday on maui plus a couple of beach closures on oahu secondary to sharks behaving aggressively.

It's a brown-water thing. Would not let my son go storm surfing with his buds.  It was victory-at-sea crap anyway.