PERTH: A school of some 20 great white sharks was recently spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard off Northern California’s coast, according to expert report. Schramm confirmed that almost all the sharks measured between 10 and 15 feet long with a couple of exceptions thar were about 18 feet long.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports on Saturday that the sharks were spotted swimming together last week about 100 yards offshore near the city of Pacifica.
This unusually large group of the ocean killers has raised concerns about the safety of local swimmers, wind surfers and kayakers. The region’s sharks can grow up to 21 feet and weigh as much as 7,000 pounds. They usually return from the deep ocean to feed at the Farallon Islands this time of year.
Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, stated that two Coast Guard helicopters that flew 500 feet above the ocean saw the school of sharks on Oct. 16.
“Amazed,” exclaimed Lt. Beau Belanger, who was piloting one of two Coast Guard helicopters flying 500 feet above the ocean on Oct. 16 when they spotted the gang.
The sighting was considered strange as these fully mature sharks often swim from the ocean toward the Farallon Islands, Año Nuevo, and Drakes Bay this time of the year. They travel from within the colder parts in order to feed.
An unusual number of juvenile white sharks under 10 feet long have been observed this year, likely associated with the unseasonably high water temperatures along the coast,” said David McGuire, director of Shark Stewards, a nonprofit shark conservation group affiliated with the Earth Island Institute.
This species of white sharks are typically found along the coast of Australia, South Africa, and parts of the United States. The Census for Marine Life has reported that there are currently 3,500 great white sharks left in the world, with around 220 of them inhabiting the waters around the central Californian coast.
