Shark Surge: California Sees Record Incidents in 2025, Experts Urge Caution cover art

Shark Surge: California Sees Record Incidents in 2025, Experts Urge Caution

Shark Surge: California Sees Record Incidents in 2025, Experts Urge Caution

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

 California saw a record number of shark incidents in 2025, with ten reported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the highest total in a single year, though only three caused injuries and one was fatal. This surge highlights growing encounters along the states long coastline, where more than one hundred fifty million people visit beaches annually. The first attack of 2026 struck on January thirteenth, just north of the Gualala River in Mendocino County, one hundred fifteen miles north of San Francisco. Twenty six year old surfer Tommy Civik was paddling out around eight thirty in the morning when a shark slammed into him like a car, snapping his board in half and shredding his wet suit. His friend Marco Guerrero watched from a nearby sandbar, describing a violent thrashing with the sharks tail whipping high above the water, estimating the animal at about six feet long with a white underbelly. Civik flew through the air, suffered leg lacerations needing stitches, but swam to shore on the boards tail piece and drove himself to the hospital. Officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife suspect a great white shark, known for breaching attacks on surface prey like seals, and plan DNA tests on the damaged gear to confirm.

Just weeks earlier, on December twenty first twenty twenty five, experienced triathlete Erica Fox was killed while swimming with a group in Monterey Bay, about two hundred thirty miles south in Pacific Grove. Her body surfaced six days later, wearing a shark deterrent band, marking the second fatal encounter there in three years. The California White Shark Project notes these as two of four bites in the past two months, unusual given how rare attacks are along eight hundred forty miles of coast with over two hundred forty public beaches.

Worldwide, shark bites remain infrequent, with the United States leading in unprovoked incidents, like thirty six in twenty twenty three, often from mistaken identity rather than predation. Emerging patterns suggest great whites are more active near popular surf and swim spots, possibly drawn by seals or increasing human presence in the water. In response, authorities urge caution, like avoiding solo surfing, and local fire departments in areas such as Mendocino are bolstering water rescue teams with Jet Skis. Beaches may post temporary warnings after sightings, though experts stress attacks stay very uncommon.

Thank you for tuning in, and please subscribe for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

For more http://www.quietplease.ai

Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
No reviews yet