One Man Crowd: NORCAL Wave Drought with a Rant

Yeah...have not surfed in over a week because of the combination of work kicking my ass and Mother Ocean raising hell out in the Water.

Since last weekend, the surf has been a pretty consistent 10 to 12 feet at 10-12 seconds! Oh how I envy my SOCAL stoke-mates and their flat conditions...NOT! ;-)

Yeah, I could travel further north to a spot that provides a "sheltered" cove that catches some that energy, but with the dreary weather conditions...I would rather just sit and wait it out. Next week sees the return of some decent size that isn't too overwhelming, so I'll be hitting then. Meanwhile, some rants...

Great Whites Love Short-boards:

I'm sure that most of us are aware of what lurks just beyond our reach and under boards...it is something that we stoke-searchers accept as a fact while ignoring the reality that at any moment the man in the grey suit can come a'knockin.

I speak from first-hand experience, having survived my own visit, though it was not upon me but a fellow surfer in close proximity.

Which leads me to the following question: Do Sharks prefer to dine upon the Short-board or the Long-board?

Now, I ride a 10'6" big stick, not because I'm of the opinion that it protects me from being dinner, but that it works best for my own surfing style and strengths while providing unending stoke-filled sessions.

Though, I will admit that in the back of my mind, from everything that I have read and seen as it relates to shark attacks...riding a long-board seems to deter the man in the grey suit because short-boards appear to be the preferred chomping choice amongst the shark population.

Before I submit my evidence, I must define the difference between an "Attack" and a "Bump":

Attack =usually from underneath, forceful and directed at the head of the object intended to maim/injure a food source for the purposes of feeding.

Bump =usually from the side, a probing push or sampling bite to determine if an object on the surface is dead and edible. A by-product of the Shark’s savaging behavior.

My own personal experience, that occurred while sitting in the water on my long-board while another surfer, on smaller long-board, had her board bit on the tail by a 16 foot great white, is a perfect example of a “savaging” shark.

In this mode, the shark is simply sampling something that they think is dead, because, as ocean scavengers, they’re curiosity has been activated by the floating object.

Furthermore, since sharks have no hands…they use their teeth as a tool in determining the editable possibilities of the floating mass:

“Of course, the "bump" from a 15-foot white shark is no little pat - the shark pushed the inflatable, and the two of us on board, a good foot out of the water. But the shark was merely checking out whether this black mass floating on the surface was a dead whale - it was in its scavenger mode and certainly was not trying to sink the inflatable to get after the two occupants aboard.”

(http://rtseablog.blogspot.com/2010/05/great-white-sharks-and-boats-do-sharks.html)

Thus, the “bump” that occurred on my fellow long-boarder, was not an attack but a “scavenging sample” by a curious shark intent on determining the editable possibilities of the object.

Of course, the non-attack nature of that event is not an attempt to discount the fact that it was still a very dangerous and shocking experience, and that it could still happen to me.

Yet, I merely use it as a means to differentiate between the two behaviors of an “Attack” and a “Bump”, with an attack being more likely directed at short-boarders than long-boarders.

Regarding the “attacking” behavior of Great Whites, it has been studied that sharks not only use their superior senses of smell and sonar for feeding, but also rely upon the visual sense in recognizing potential prey. Unfortunately for the short-boarder, the “visual” pattern of a shark’s primary source of food is closely similar to the shape and size of a modern-day short-boarder.

“The appearance of a surfer on a short surfboard, for example, might easily be mistaken by the shark for a basking sea lion.”

(http://research.calacademy.org/aquatic/shark)

“Sharks have millions of years of evolution and they have developed an extraordinary suite of predatory devices,” said Douglass. “They rarely make a mistake.” According to Douglas, what has happened in the past 10 years is that people have done a remarkable job of looking like sea lions. “10 years ago, most surfers used long boards. Now most surfers use short boards and dress in black wet suits making them look just like a sea lion, a favorite snack of theses deadly apex predators. With the short boards, arms and legs dangle and mimic flippers.”

(http://philfriedmanoutdoors.typepad.com/philip-friedman-outdoors/2011/09/how-to-avoid-a-shark-attack.html)

So, I ask my fellow stoke-mates…short-board or long-board, which do you think the Man in the Grey Suit prefers…hmmm?

Thus, I end this rant with the following pics from the last 3 attacks from the last couple of months. Please take note; all occurred on short-boards.

Shark attack in NORCAL, in my area. Follow this link for the story:

(http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/pacific_coast_shark_news.htm)