Sharks and Surfers coexist/clash

CHARLESTON, Ore. -It's a fact that sharks are in the ocean.  But a recent up-close encounter with a surfer and a Great White Shark out in Winchester Bay is enough to have some folks sitting shore side.  But just how often this occurs, could surprise you.    

Hit with the force of an 11 to 14 foot long Great White Shark, a local shark research committee published the story of a man surfing at the South Jetty of the Umpqua River, who got a surprise visit on September 27.
    
But this isn't the first of such encounters, nor will it be the last.  Dale Inskeep, once an avid surfer off our shores tells us he's seen four Great Whites out in the ocean, but one sticks out as the most vivid and dangerous of the encounters.

"The first one was with a friend of  mine on January of '93 out on Bastendorff Beach," recalls Inskeep.  "A biologist from Humboldt State came up and looked at the bite marks in the surf board and estimated the shark to be about 17 feet long."

A top predator, the Great White Shark most commonly goes after seals, sea lions or smaller fish.  But Jan Hodder, with the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology says their method of attack sometimes can lead to mistaken identity with a surfer.

"It looks like they do the attack and stop," said Hodder.  "Whether they're doing that with surfer or whether they take on bite of the surf board or find it's not an appropriate thing to eat.  And there is this speculation that surfers look, on their surf boards, look a bit like sea lions."

Hodder says while it's difficult to know how many Great White's are out there, research does shows a low reproductive rate among them.  As for their chance encounters, she says they're likely dictated by the seasonal tide.

"The Great White Sharks come to the coast here in the Summer to feed.  So that's the time of year you're likely to see one if you're a surfer or a fisherman out there," said Hodder.
    
As for Inskeep, his run-ins haven't stopped him from paddling out from time to time, but he says he has changed his approach.

"I've been doing more of the stand-up paddle board and I tell you, I feel a little more comfortable having my head almost 6 feet above the water and a lot more foam between me and the water," said Inskeep.
    
That's not to say he hasn't appreciated his encounters with the Great White.  Inskeep says there needs to be an understanding that we're sharing their home, out in the ocean.

"I think they really are amazing animals and i feel real blessed that I've seen the white shark close up in its natural habitat four times in my life."

To report a shark encounter and attack, you can log onto http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/indigenous.htm