LOS ANGELES -- Shark sightings are up along Southern California's coast and experts believe at least two great white sharks are lurking in the water near some of the area's most popular beaches.
According to the Shark Research Committee, an organization dedicated to shark research based in Los Angeles, there have been more than 20 confirmed sightings of a shark breaching at Sunset Beach over the last five months.
The latest sighting took place on Saturday, October 3, 2009 when Randy Wright, who was kayaking 320 yards off the coast, spotted what appeared to be a great white shark jump completely out of the water.
Wright was able to capture several photographs of the incident.
Wright says he had been in the water for about an hour and a half and had spotted several dolphins in the area. But, it's what happened next that caught his attention.
"I heard a large swooshing noise just east of my position in the direction of the Bel Air Bay Club. I grabbed my camera... I fired off four shots of something. I wasn't sure -- it was airborne and then splashing," Wright wrote of his experience.
He was shocked when he saw what he caught with his camera.
The photographs show a great white shark, believed to be 8-10 feet long, in mid-air, experts say.
Another shark was spotted the day before in the same area by a local surfer.
Brian Moore says "I saw a fairly large shark breach completely out of the water and land on its back. It was grey with a white belly and 8-10 feet in length. It's unclear if what Moore saw was the same shark that Wright saw, experts say.
Ralph Collier, who heads research for the Shark Research Committee, says experts believe at least two great white sharks are frequenting the waters off Sunset Beach.
One was tagged by shark experts. The shark spotted on Saturday and caught on camera was not tagged.
Similar sightings were reported in the waters along Will Rogers State Beach, San Onofre State Beach, Huntington Beach and Terramar Beach in Carlsbad as well as near Santa Cruz island near Santa Barbara.
Sightings were also reported in the waters along the Central Coast and Northern California as far north as Oregon.
Collier says there have only been three great white shark attacks in the waters off Southern California this year, none of them fatal. Humans "didn't appear to be the intended target" of the sharks.
He says the number of shark sightings shows that these amazing creatures really "don't want to attack humans."
Collier says the number of sightings are up in the area, but more humans are also frequenting the area. He wants to raise awareness and says the report is not intended to frighten anyone.
The last fatal great white shark attack involved a swimmer who was killed on April 25, 2008 near Solana Beach.
Collier also says funding for shark research has dropped off due, in part, to the recession and he is asking for donations to help buy more tagging devices.
Anyone who would like to donate can go to shark research committee for more information.
Great white sharks are known to live in almost all coastal and offshore waters with the greatest concentrations off the southern coasts of Australia, South Africa, California and Mexico.
The great white is the world's largest known predatory fish which preys on smaller fish, dolphins, seals and sea lions.
According to the Shark Research Committee, an organization dedicated to shark research based in Los Angeles, there have been more than 20 confirmed sightings of a shark breaching at Sunset Beach over the last five months.
The latest sighting took place on Saturday, October 3, 2009 when Randy Wright, who was kayaking 320 yards off the coast, spotted what appeared to be a great white shark jump completely out of the water.
Wright was able to capture several photographs of the incident.
Wright says he had been in the water for about an hour and a half and had spotted several dolphins in the area. But, it's what happened next that caught his attention.
"I heard a large swooshing noise just east of my position in the direction of the Bel Air Bay Club. I grabbed my camera... I fired off four shots of something. I wasn't sure -- it was airborne and then splashing," Wright wrote of his experience.
He was shocked when he saw what he caught with his camera.
The photographs show a great white shark, believed to be 8-10 feet long, in mid-air, experts say.
Another shark was spotted the day before in the same area by a local surfer.
Brian Moore says "I saw a fairly large shark breach completely out of the water and land on its back. It was grey with a white belly and 8-10 feet in length. It's unclear if what Moore saw was the same shark that Wright saw, experts say.
Ralph Collier, who heads research for the Shark Research Committee, says experts believe at least two great white sharks are frequenting the waters off Sunset Beach.
One was tagged by shark experts. The shark spotted on Saturday and caught on camera was not tagged.
Similar sightings were reported in the waters along Will Rogers State Beach, San Onofre State Beach, Huntington Beach and Terramar Beach in Carlsbad as well as near Santa Cruz island near Santa Barbara.
Sightings were also reported in the waters along the Central Coast and Northern California as far north as Oregon.
Collier says there have only been three great white shark attacks in the waters off Southern California this year, none of them fatal. Humans "didn't appear to be the intended target" of the sharks.
He says the number of shark sightings shows that these amazing creatures really "don't want to attack humans."
Collier says the number of sightings are up in the area, but more humans are also frequenting the area. He wants to raise awareness and says the report is not intended to frighten anyone.
The last fatal great white shark attack involved a swimmer who was killed on April 25, 2008 near Solana Beach.
Collier also says funding for shark research has dropped off due, in part, to the recession and he is asking for donations to help buy more tagging devices.
Anyone who would like to donate can go to shark research committee for more information.
Great white sharks are known to live in almost all coastal and offshore waters with the greatest concentrations off the southern coasts of Australia, South Africa, California and Mexico.
The great white is the world's largest known predatory fish which preys on smaller fish, dolphins, seals and sea lions.
