Shark Scares Strike Home

On October 25, 2011, the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) released a 44-pound great white shark into the waters off the shores of Santa Barbara. Two days later, the Santa Cruz Sentinel published reports that a shark as large as 15 feet was spotted near Seacliff State Beach, a popular fishing and surfing locale in Aptos. Two days after that, October 29, Eric Tarantino (27) was attacked at Marina State Beach by a shark matching the Aptos shark’s description. Then, just four days later, the great white released by the MBA nine days earlier showed up dead.

The hectic week and a half of shark-related stories left many questions encircling the community, especially at a time when the world is gripped by the fatal shark attacks that came like an epidemic to western Australia earlier this year. With all of the tales about sharks, the most glaring question is also one of the oldest: is it safe to go in the water?

The answer, as always, is murky as the dark sea itself. The calculation of risks must be judged by the individual. California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) student and avid surfer Sam Garcia recalled the morning of Tarantino’s attack. His friends had just left his house after staying the night to ride the morning waves when they saw the aftermath of ambulances and onlookers. “I couldn’t believe it because that was the exact same spot where my buddy got attacked a few years ago,” said Garcia.

The same story unfolded at Marina State Beach on August 28, 2007 when Todd Endris was attacked in the morning by a great white. Endris required 500 stitches and 200 staples to repair his wounds. Although Tarantino suffered wounds to his forearm, wrist, shoulder and neck, he was released released two days after the attack with a hopeful prognosis.

There have been eleven attacks in the Monterey Bay area in the last 60 years, two resulting in fatalities. However, five of those have happened within the last 16 years.

Monterey County officials posted signs following the attack warning beachgoers of shark dangers in the water and advising a suspension of water-based activities for seven days, which gave Garcia some pause. “I just think that if there’s something going on out there,” explained Garcia, “yeah, I can wait a week or two. I’m not taking that chance.”

That sentiment is not echoed by all surfers, however. CSUMB senior (Communications: pre-law) Sean Poudrier, a lifelong surfer, has been living in Santa Cruz for the past three years. He was at Moss Landing, about nine miles north of Marina, on the morning of Tarantio’s attack. He said, “Surprisingly those nine short miles must have felt like a great distance to many people as it didn’t stop them from getting in the water at all. I never even saw any advisory at all. There wasn’t one at Moss (Landing) following the attack and I haven’t been to Marina since.” The notion of staying away from the water for any extended period of time is simply unacceptable to Poudrier, who explains the surfer mentality with a philosophical shrug, “I guess if I was attacked and died as a result I wouldn’t be surfing anymore but that’s the only way I would stop.”

Concerning the communal fear about sharks lately, Poudrier says that the worries are not coming from the surfing community. “People who don’t surf are the ones that are overly-concerned about shark attacks (but) I don’t get in my car and think about getting into a car accident as I’m driving just like I don’t think about sharks while I’m surfing.”